Boys Will Be Boys
by whitejellO
Summary: AU: Americanized culture. Seto Kaiba has always struggled to suppress his feelings and emotions. But we often forget that he IS a teenager, too, and they all have hormones...They really begin to take over when a beautiful girl enters his life. COMPLETE
1. Well Ain't School So Fun

Muahahahaha, here I go again.  
  
"Yugi?"  
  
::nods head::  
  
"Oh."  
  
Hehe...  
  
mmmmmmm  
  
Everyone stared at the lightly tanned girl dressed in a red tank and black cargoes as she walked down the hallway, her long black hair bouncing ever so slightly. She paid no attention to the whispering; keeping her head high, she was set on making her way to the administration office. Upon entering it, she noticed and old, overweight woman with thick glasses, a wrinkly face, and silvery gray hair, typing something into the computer on her desk. Glancing at her name tag, she cleared her throat before saying, "Excuse me, Ms. Jones, I'm here to pick up my schedule."  
  
"Ah, yes, new student here? What's your name?"  
  
"Lily Chan."  
  
Eyeing her outfit suspiciously, she handed her a sheet of paper and said, "Here you go. You might want to change into the uniform first."  
  
"Where do I get one?"  
  
"All new students pick up uniforms the week before the start of school. I'll have to go to the back room and check if I can find them for you," she replied as she walked out the door.  
  
"All new students pick up uniforms the week before the start of school," Lily made a face and mocked her once she was out, "yeah, well _excuse me_ for living."  
  
Returning, she said, "Here you are. The bathrooms are three rooms down on the left. I suppose I should just give you a map?"  
  
Forcing a smile while stuffing the clothes into her bag, Lily responded, "Thank you, a map would be quite useful."  
  
"Have a good day," the secretary said as Lily exited.  
  
"It'll be dandy," she muttered to herself, "Three rooms down and here we are. ::entering:: ah, well this is just great. A nice little shirt to go with my nice little preppy skirt, and a clean-cut jacket. Today's sure gonna be fun. Geez, somebody kill me already."  
  
She exited the bathroom just as the bell rang.  
  
"Woohoo. Class number one: English; wonderful, I get to walk to the opposite side of the school! Sounds super fun," she grumbled and started walking. The second bell rang, signaling the start of class, and Lily was lost. "Stupid rooms. Don't even have the decency to write the stupid numbers somewhere you can actually see. One, two, three, four...this should be it. Here goes nothing." Greeted with stares as she opened the door, Lily excused herself and asked, "Hi, sorry to interrupt, but uh, is this English with Mr. Brown?"  
  
"Yes, I am Mr. Brown. You must be the new student ::looking at a sheet of paper:: Lily?"  
  
"The one and only," she smirked and eyed everyone in the class.  
  
"Very well, class, this is Lily, a new student. Please make her welcome. I won't count this tardy against you today, but make sure that you come to class promptly at 7:30 every day. Please take a seat behind Mr. Kaiba, third row, fourth seat."  
  
Forcing another smile, Lily went to her seat. Once she faced the other way as she was walking down, she rolled her eyes. _This is going to be one long day._  
  
"All right, class, let's get back to Shakespeare shall we? Who can tell me what the seventh line symbolizes?"  
  
"Yeah, that I couldn't care less about this class," Lily mumbled to herself, and only Kaiba heard it, making him chuckle inwardly.  
  
Fifty minutes of lecture seemed like days, and boy did Lily rejoice when the bell rang. Glancing at her schedule, she saw her next class, history. _Oooh, more fun coming my way._ She took the last seat in the corner after briefly talking to the teacher, Mr. Hill. Joey and Tea walked in and were about to greet the unfamiliar face when the bell rang, and they quickly took their seats. Lily was looking out the window, trying to figure out what she would do for lunch. She had quickly made a sandwich at her new apartment before walking to school. The only thing was where she would eat, after all, she hadn't made any friends yet, but that Kaiba kid was sure lingering on her mind...  
  
Meanwhile, Joey was whispering to Tea, "Hey, ya think she'll go out wit me?"  
  
"Did you ever consider, Joey, how much better your grades could be if you stopped thinking of girls for a moment?"  
  
"No."  
  
"::sigh::"  
  
"Attention class, we have a new student from America, Lily, please stand up."  
  
She obeyed.  
  
"Would you like to tell us a little something about you?"  
  
"_No._ I came here from California yesterday."  
  
"Hobbies?"  
  
"_Is this some sort of interrogation room?_ Uh, singing."  
  
"Wonderful. Let's get started on today's lesson, shall we?"  
  
And so the class went by, ever so slowly, torturing Lily to the point of insanity. Two more classes went by before lunch, and they all pretty much went the same way. The teacher would introduce her and she'd give everyone a fake smile. She had art and physical education. In art, she had a harder time avoiding conversations with people, and in PE she had the worst time. Yugi and his friends kept on talking and trying to be nice, which bugged the crap out of her. To top it off, Joey kept trying to impress her and she found it rather annoying.  
  
::ring::  
  
_Finally, lunch._  
  
She left before they could ask her if she wanted to eat with them. Lily found a nice bench shaded by a maple tree. She took out her mp3 player and started to listen to music and munch on her sandwich. Rule #1: When sitting by yourself, make it look like you know what you're doing and don't want to be disturbed, and the absolute thing you must avoid is looking lost, cuz that just makes you look dumb. Following that, she hummed the tune a bit and closed her eyes to relax. Joey almost approached her, but was talked out of it by Tea, who sensed that she probably didn't want their company. She didn't really like her much either, since she gave off such an unfriendly attitude, not really covering up that she didn't want to be at this school.  
  
The bell rang again, and the lunch break was way too short for her tastes. She grudgingly went to math class. Taking her favorite seat in the back corner, her face lighted up a bit when Kaiba walked through the door, but she struggled to hide it. She had no time to act silly and secretly hoped he'd take a seat near her, and to her luck, he sat diagonal from her seat. She'd have to find more about this guy. After class they were walking the same way and Lily was surprised that she had chemistry with him, too. She took a seat on the high tables next to him. Unluckily for her (but not for us), so was Joey and Tea. Tristan was in that class too, but he hadn't formally met her yet and was anxious to meet the girl Joey was so hyped up about.  
  
"Class, we're starting off the year with a lab tomorrow."  
  
The whole class groaned.  
  
"Whoever is sitting next to you is your lab partner. Feel free to change seats now if you like. I'll give you two minutes. Go."  
  
Lily turned to Kaiba and gave a real smile, "Mind if I stay here?"  
  
"No."  
  
Short and sweet. This was the class she'd be able to find out whether he was as cool as his first impression gave off. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all._ And it was the final period of the day.  
  
"Ey Kaiba, get out."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cuz I wanna sit there."  
  
"And why would that be, Wheeler?"  
  
Not wanting to get in a fight with Kaiba, Joey turned to Lily. "Look Lily, I'm doing you a favor here. You don't have to sit next to Kaiba scum-ball over here; you can be _my_ lab partner."  
  
"Whether he's scum or not is for me to find out, all right? Why don't you and Tea just leave me alone?"  
  
A smirk formed on Kaiba's lips, "you heard the lady."  
  
"You're making a big mistake here."  
  
"Well, it's mine to make."  
  
With that he left, somewhat angry, somewhat sad.  
  
"Since today is the first day of school, we're only going to have a short lecture. Blah blah blah, etc...::30 minutes later:: you may have the last twenty minutes to start, and maybe for some of you finish, your homework."  
  
Lily finished quickly, having taken a chemistry class last year back in the states. Kaiba, being the smart kid that he was, finished quickly as well.  
  
"So when do we get out?"  
  
"In ten."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
She sensed Kaiba was not one to talk much, so she started up her music and hummed until people turned around annoyed with a 'SHHHH.' She just laughed. The bell rang and all she said was "finally," and walked out the door towards the bathroom. She had to get out of that ridiculous uniform and back to the comforts of her own clothes before stopping by her locker.  
  
Lily hit the mall right after that. She had just moved yesterday, so she needed to buy a new cell phone, not that anyone would call her, but she figured it might be handy. She needed to pick up some more groceries and clothes, not to mention those pesky supplies the teachers requested.  
  
_Maybe I should just blow that off. It's not like I care and anyone's checking up on me. Then again, I'd get all worked up and I think I deserve some chill time. Oh, I guess I should or otherwise he'll make me go to a new school, and who need's that?  
_  
After picking up a new cell and two pants and three tops, she made her way to the supplies store where she ran into Yugi and the gang. She almost successfully avoided them; she was in the checkout line, too.  
  
"Lily! Hey, didn't expect to find you here."  
  
"Hi Joey, Tea, Yugi, uh, I don't think I know you guys."  
  
"I'm Tristan, pleasure to meet you."  
  
"Who's the cute one next to you?"  
  
"Duke Devlin, and you are?"  
  
"Lily. Nice meeting you. See you around ::wink::"  
  
Joey noticed that and kinda started to freak out and said, "Hey wait, sorry about what happened in class earlier today. How 'bout I take you out for a movie or dinner or, uh, both or something to make up for it?"  
  
"Are you asking me out?"  
  
"Er, I guess, I mean, yes. Yes I am."  
  
"Oh, well in that case ::pretending to think:: no."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Yeah, I don't go out with pathetic guys," Lily replied with a smirk and walked out with her bags.  
  
OUCH.  
  
"Lily!" Tea yelled.  
  
She spun around casually and responded, "Yeah?"  
  
"You may not want to go out with Joey, but you don't have to be so mean! He's a great friend you know, and he's trying to be nice, since you're new, but you're not helping. I don't know where you came from but around here nobody insults my friends and gets away with it."  
  
"You're right. You don't know where I came from or anything about me for that matter. Who are you to judge me? You've got no idea what I've been through, okay? So don't come over here like you're princess friendship trying to defend your pals from me the evil, mean monster. And geez, Tea, relax a bit, won't you? I was just having a bit of fun anyway. Go back to your boyfriend Yugi over there."  
  
With that she stormed off, leaving Tea speechless.

-----

ok, so there wasn't much action w/ Kaiba this chapter, and although she kinda says that Duke is cute, which he _is_, but I digress, he won't come up much. until later. unless i really feel like it.

there are and are going to be references to other pieces of literature, a.k.a allusions, or people or stuff like that. there's only one in this chapter, but whoever can find it gets...a hug? haha, but i'd be impressed if someone found it. ok, so if nobody finds it, then i'm gonna put it up next chapter so i'm not accused of plagarism. hint hint its a QUOTE. haha.

next chapter we find out more about our dear protagonist, Lily. oh yeah, there's not going to be anything about duels and such. cuz i can't write that stuff, mainly because i don't know much about that part...i mean, i'll mention it, but i won't write out moves and stuff.


	2. Change

chapter two.

last chapter's reference was the excuse me for living part...which was from The Bean Trees, which is not that great of a book, but that line was fitting.

-----

Lily had spent an hour and a half at the mall and buying groceries, so it was four o' clock and she started to walk home. It was half a mile, but she didn't know the bus routes yet and she didn't have car like she did back in California, so she had to walk. The bags weren't helping either. But luckily for her, a limo passed by, containing none other than Mokuba Kaiba returning home from a games club after school. He had noticed her struggling with all the bags and told the chauffer to stop the limo.  
  
"Hey, do you need some help? A ride or something?"  
  
"Oh! That'd be great! Thanks."  
  
After getting into the car she asked, "So, who are you?"  
  
"Mokuba, my big brother is Seto Kaiba."  
  
"Really. He's in some of my classes. Well that's cool, I guess. I'm Lily. So what's a kid like you doing in a limo?"  
  
"You don't know?"  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"My brother owns Kaiba Corp., so he can afford these things."  
  
"You don't say. What about your parents?"  
  
"I can tell you're new here, huh? But that's okay. We grew up in an orphanage and Seto managed to get our evil step-father's company, and here we are."  
  
"So you're pretty well off."  
  
"I guess. I just wish that big brother spent more time with me, that's all."  
  
"Oh, my apartment's here. So no parents, huh? I guess you haven't had a good home-cooked meal in a long time. I bet you're hungry. You know, I can whip up something for you, just think of it as payment back for the ride. I could use the company, too."  
  
"I'm gonna check with Seto. ::calls:: It's fine."  
  
"Nice. So, what are you in the mood for?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"I'll just surprise you. Oh, don't mind the boxes. I just moved in yesterday."  
  
"Oh, so you live here with your parents?"  
  
"Nope. My mom passed away when I was two and my father is doing some business in Hawaii."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. It's cuz I'm alone that I get a whopping 8000 bucks a month and this apartment on top of that. It's my dad's way of buying his way out of spending time with me. But, I know I'm going to miss my friends back in California."  
  
"So why'd you move?"  
  
"How bout I just say I was a troubled kid?"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Don't worry. It's not like I'm dangerous. I got arrested for trashing a hotel room when I went on a road trip with some of my friends. I was just in a bad mood, that's all. I'd have to say I'm 99% a decent person."  
  
"Oh, ok. Well, I'm sure you'll make plenty more new friends here. Everyone is really nice. Have you met Tea? I think she goes to your school. She's always looking out for her friends."  
  
"Oh. Well, I'll watch out for her. Why don't you go play some video games while I cook? You'll see I have a pretty wide selection."  
  
"All right."  
  
::Twenty minutes later::  
  
"Your dinner is served, sir," Lily imitated a British waiter, (yes, waiter, as in low voice.) and the two laughed. She returned to her normal voice, "So, what do you think?"  
  
"Mmm! This pasta is really good, hmm...almost as good as...Kraft's mac and cheese!" Mokuba exclaimed and then started to crack up as Lily playfully hit him on the head.  
  
"Wait till you try the desert."  
  
"Where'd you learn to cook like this? Seto could sure learn a thing or two from you."  
  
"Me and my best friend used to own this café."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Well, I started having these problems in my relationship with my dad and then my boyfriend, and I took it out on her. I got so mad and quit and haven't talked to her since."  
  
"Oh, sorry. ...But you should talk to her. I'm sure you could have worked things out."  
  
"Nah, I was too proud to admit anything. I still am, but not with that. Anyway, enough with this history about me. I bet you can't beat me in a game of Mario Kart! It's my favorite, so you better watch out!"  
  
"You're on!"  
  
They played until seven when Seto called and told him that he'd better go home.  
  
"You're a cool kid, Mokuba. You can come over anytime you want. Thanks for giving me a ride."  
  
"See you!" Mokuba smiled and dashed down to the limo.  
  
Lily spent the night unpacking and organizing everything before going to bed.  
  
-----  
  
::Kaiba household::  
  
"Where have you been, Mokuba? You should have been at home hours ago and started doing your homework."  
  
"I told you I was at Lily's house for dinner."  
  
"Lily? Who's Lily?"  
  
"I met her on the street. She was carrying these bags and needed a ride, so I stopped to help her."  
  
"Mokuba, you can't just stop and help someone. She was a stranger and could have been dangerous."  
  
"But she wasn't! She was nice and an awesome cook, and she even let me play her video games."  
  
"You went to a stranger's house? You know better than that, Mokuba."  
  
"She said she had classes with you."  
  
"Anyone can say that. ...wait, Lily? Did she say she just moved here?"  
  
"Yeah, so you do know her."  
  
"Hmm. That's still no excuse."  
  
"Give her a chance. She doesn't have any friends yet. I'm sure you'll like her, Seto."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"You should invite her over or something."  
  
"Huh."  
  
"Maybe you should ask her out, since you won't with any of the other girls."  
  
"I don't need a girlfriend, Mokuba."  
  
"But why no—"  
  
"I don't have time for these silly things, Mokuba. I have a company to run."  
  
The next morning Lily found out Seto's locker was right next to hers. (Coincidence? I think not. :D) He was taking his English binder out as she arrived. As she opened her locker, she said, "You wanna hear a story? Yesterday, I met this handsome guy, who happened to be in three in my classes, and he failed to mention that he owned his own company and had the sweetest little brother."  
  
"Well, I believe _someone_ didn't ask, or converse much either. And as a matter of fact, she failed to mention that she used to own her own café."  
  
"Ah, co-owned."  
  
"Oh, my mistake."  
  
"You know, I'm curious."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, I was just wondering if that guy happened to be single."  
  
"I do believe that he is."  
  
"Really? There are so many pretty girls around and with looks like his, I'm wondering why."  
  
"Because they know better than to mess with Seto Kaiba," he said with a grin.  
  
"You know what? I'm thinking there's one who does, and who's quite interested," Lily whispered into his ear, closing the space between them as she did so.  
  
"Really. Well tell her she doesn't know what she's getting into," Kaiba remarked, moved away, and closed his locker.  
  
"No, but she'd sure like to find out."  
  
::ring::  
  
"Well, I'm off."  
  
"Hold it there, bud," Lily said as she grabbed his arm and rolled up his sleeve. She pulled out a pen and wrote her number on his wrist: 225-1287 Lily. She left him in shock, staring at the pen marks on his skin. Nobody ever dared to approach Seto Kaiba without him calling them first. Some the girls admired him but never had the guts to ask him out, for fear he would humiliate them like he did to Susie Parks. She had asked him to the winter ball their sophomore year and he laughed in her face. He announced in the cafeteria, "You want me to take you to the dance?" She nodded her head. He yelled, "In your dreams." Whenever he accidentally bumped into someone, he'd just ignore them, even if all their things were on the floor. From then on everyone was scared to ask him anything.  
  
He hadn't gone to a single school dance and didn't care to; after all, he did have his business to run. But Lily entered his bubble, his world. She had befriended Mokuba. He had just gone along with their first flirting session, and now she had written her number on his wrist. She had guts; that's for sure. No one, no one ever bothered Seto Kaiba, but he wasn't sure whether he actually thought she was bothersome or not. One thing was for sure, she couldn't be ignored like the rest of the girls in the school. She had gotten herself into his life, and he had no way of getting her out.  
  
Kaiba shook it off and went to English not showing any sign that he was puzzled or different in any way, but he was disturbed. His life was altered and he had lost control. She sat right behind him, and he couldn't change his seat and was stuck wondering if she was scheming of more ways to affect him; women and their evil ways. (muahahahaha) Suddenly he felt a poke in his back and he turned around. Lily was trying to slip him a note, but he was unsuspecting, and naturally, since almost everyone was scared of him. His inexperience with note passing led Lily to get caught.  
  
"Excuse me, Miss Chan, passing notes?"  
  
"Er..."  
  
"Do you have something to share with the class?"  
  
"No, Mr. Brown."  
  
"I really think you do. Let me see that note."  
  
"It's ok, you don't have to."  
  
"Well, in that case, why don't you stand up and tell the class."  
  
"I don't think they'll be interested."  
  
"That's fine, go on."  
  
"Fine. I was just going to tell Kaiba here that I think he is very handsome and I would like to go out with him some time," Lily said with a smile, no hint of embarrassment whatsoever. The class burst out laughing, and Kaiba struggled to hide his embarrassment. Normally they would have been deathly silent, but since they were in the presence of a teacher, Kaiba couldn't do anything to them and so they let out their real responses.  
  
_I am Seto Kaiba. I have no reason to blush. This is ridiculous. I do not get embarrassed. Why is everyone laughing? What happened to the respect? My world is officially falling apart. I'm losing control...  
_  
"Well then class, back to work."  
  
All the girls in that class was eager to tell all their friends that the new girl had the hots for Kaiba and they knew it was going to be huge in gossip land. Sure enough it was. By lunch time, the whole school knew and everyone was talking about it. Lily couldn't care less about the gossip and the stares and the whispering; she thought it was pathetic, that this tiny thing would cause such a ruckus. Back at her old school, a girl getting pregnant wasn't even this big. _They sure don't have much drama in their lives.  
_  
Since Lily had run a bit late that morning, she had to buy lunch in the cafeteria and happened to be standing behind Tristan. People started asking her about whether or not the rumor was true and she was just sick of it. She didn't respond to them and thought it would be better if she talked to Tristan instead.  
  
"Where's the rest of the gang?"  
  
"They're sitting and eating over there. I had to check up with one of my teachers."  
  
"Getting into trouble on the second day of school?"  
  
"Well, I wouldn't be talking if I were you. Is it true?"  
  
"Is what true?"  
  
"About you and Kaiba."  
  
"Ah, well, I don't know. I'm gonna have to figure that out ::grinning::"  
  
"I would have thought you'd be way more embarrassed, the whole school's talking about it."  
  
"Why should I be?"  
  
"I guess it's only a rumor then, huh."  
  
"I never said that. For all you know, I could be going out with him, I could be having a crush on him, I could not be having a crush on him, I could hate him, you just don't know."  
  
"Oh man is Joey going to be crushed."  
  
"Well, you shoulda warned him that he'd never have a chance with me, I mean, give me a break here, asking me out after knowing me two seconds? What a turnoff."  
  
"Haha, tell me about it," Tristan said as the two walked together. He stopped at the table where his friends were.  
  
"Well, catcha around."  
  
"You don't want to sit with us?"  
  
"It's ok. I prefer eating outside while the weather is still nice."  
  
Tea replied, "You're right. Mind if I join you?"  
  
"I don—::remembering what Mokuba said:: uh, okay." Lily forced a smile and the two stepped outside.  
  
"I wonder what's going on," Joey said, more to himself than anyone else.  
  
"Must be girl talk," replied Tristan. Yugi just shrugged.  
  
::outside under tree::  
  
"It is nice to eat out here."  
  
"Yeah."

"Nice weather."

"Yeah."

"Nice day to spend outside with friends."

"O-kay."  
  
::silence::  
  
"So, I hear something going on about you and Kaiba; is it true?"  
  
"A few minutes ago, I thought to myself, if someone asks me that one more time, I'll explode. Lucky you Tea. I am sick and tired of it. All I wanted was a little peace during lunch and what do I get? A bombardment of questions. You and your stupid gossip-crazed school! What's the REAL reason you wanted to talk to me? You know what? Don't. Go back to your stupid friends, and your stupid boyfriend, and your stupid lunch, okay?"  
  
Tea, struggling to keep her anger inside, said, "First of all, Yugi is not my boyfriend. He is a friend, nothing more, nothing less. And second, I _just_ want to clear up what happened yesterday."  
  
"Yeah, ok, first of all, have you seen the way he looks at you? ::Tea blushing:: He's not your boyfriend like I'm not having a major issue with rumors right now. And, SECOND, there's nothing to clear up."  
  
"Grrr...there is. I just want to say that you hurt Joey's feelings yesterday and so I became really defensive and I didn't mean to yell."  
  
"::chuckling:: you call that yelling? Forget about it. You were just looking out for your friends. You want to hear yelling? DO YOU?!"  
  
"Calm down, okay? I'm trying to be friendly right now, and once again you're not helping."  
  
"Well gosh darn it, doesn't that suck."  
  
"Yeah, it does. I also wanted to warn you."  
  
"From what, Tea? The friendship lecture I'm about to hear?"  
  
"No, if you do decide to pursue something with Kaiba, you should know a few things."  
  
"Yeah? Like what?!"  
  
"Well, for one thing, he's cold, cruel and selfish. He's not very friendly at all."

"So?"

"So? Why would you want to spend time with someone mean instead of someone friendly?"

"Well, how well _do_ you know Seto Kaiba? Not very much, huh? So, don't you think you're being a itsy bitsy bit presumptuous there for a oh!-won't-you-be-my-friend-forever kind of person?"

"Well, I've seen the way he acts enough to tell that he is in fact, not boyfriend material. Have you even seen him with friends?"

"Maybe he just hasn't found the right ones."

"Face it, Lily, he's just not a nice guy."  
  
"::calming down:: Mokuba doesn't seem to think that way. He looks up to him."  
  
"Yeah, he doesn't see his meanness at all."  
  
"Well, he hasn't been very mean to me."  
  
"You'll see it soon enough."  
  
"I think I'm gonna give it a chance and you know why? BECAUSE I FREAKIN FEEL LIKE IT OKAY?!?!"  
  
"Ok," Tea gave up and left for the cafeteria.  
  
The silence around Lily was broken by the bell.

-----

heh, more arguing! that's the way...er, uh. NO! being mean is bad. bad. bad.

if you can't tell, Lily has some attitude to work out, so we'll just see how compatible Lily and Seto are together...they do have four letters in each of their names...heh, annyyywwways. nobody guessed what the reference thingy was last time. ::SOB:: hah, well, this time i had something for all the Johnny Depp fans out there...

so...REVIEW. yes. do it. :D it helps mucho if i get feedback.


	3. He Likes Me, He Likes Me Not

okay, so here's ch. 3, it's kinda short, so I'll possibly stick up the next, too.

In math Kaiba decided to sit at the opposite side of the room as Lily, and in chem he couldn't avoid her because they were lab partners and it was lab day. She had tied back her hair into a bun and stuck on some glasses, making her look like a proper secretary. With the hair out of her face, Kaiba could really notice her beautiful facial features. In fact, he totally forgot about everything around him. Sure he suppressed his emotions, but like any other teenage boy, he had no control over his hormones. She was just too pretty and although he would never admit it, he never stood so close to a girl before. He could actually smell her, and for a fraction of a second he was actually nervous. But then he pushed that aside and returned to his old, confident self.  
  
"You know, gawking is not the way to a girl's heart, Seto."  
  
_O.o She actually called me by my first name. No girl has ever done that before...  
_  
"You're right, it isn't. What do you say to a date? We'll give these losers something real to talk about."  
  
"My, my, and I thought I'd have to wait a few weeks until I could hear those words."  
  
"What can I say? I'm unpredictable."  
  
"Well, the answer is yes. I would love to."  
  
"What do you say to Saturday?"  
  
"Aww, that long?"  
  
"Learn a little patience, I've got work to do."  
  
"Oh, do you have your laptop with you?"  
  
"Er, yeah, why?"  
  
"Nothing...Now, let's get to work on this lab already. I have no intention of failing."  
  
"All right."  
  
They worked up to the bell and then the teacher announced, "Don't worry if you haven't finished. It's due on Friday."  
  
"Come on already."  
  
"And you're calling me the impatient one."  
  
"Well—"  
  
"Hurry, hurry! ::dragging him out the door by the arm:: Mr. Kaiba must go to his locker and rush home to work! Oh NO! He's going to be late by five seconds! Whatever shall we do?" Lily pretended to break down and go hysterical, and cracking up afterwards. She wasn't that loud, but definitely standing out enough to cause a few stares to go her way.  
  
"I have a reputation to keep up you know," Kaiba said sternly, eyeing the other students in the hallway.  
  
"Oh, lighten up. Who cares about what people think? ::opening locker:: I mean, you're the president of Kaiba Corp. You have a great brother, who's got a huge heart. Who knows what other great things exist about you? I'd have to say, you're better off than most."  
  
He just responded with a grunt.  
  
"Okay, if it means that much to you, I'll act like I don't know you. I won't talk to you or joke around or laugh, if that's what you want," Lily said as she started to walk off.  
  
"Wait," Kaiba grumbled, clearly frustrated, and touched her shoulder.  
  
"Why must you be like this? It doesn't matter what people think, Seto, it matters how you actually are. Do you know that Tea tried to warn me? She said you were a cold, cruel, selfish person. Those were her exact words, and I didn't believe it for a second. Why do you want people to think of you that way? Is it because that's how you really are? Mokuba doesn't believe that. I don't, but my confidence in that fact is slipping, so you better convince me otherwise."  
  
"But I have responsibilities, work, and things to do."  
  
"I bet it's always work this work that. Your brother wants to spend time with you, and so do I; I want to know so much more about you, but that's impossible if all you care about is work. Don't you ever stop to smell the roses? You're just a kid. There's going to be so much time later for you to work."  
  
"I am the president of Kaiba Corp. I have a reputation to keep up and respect to be demanded, or I'll be overrun and lose everything. I've worked so hard to reach the top, and you want me to just dismiss that? In order to fit everything in, I have a strict schedule to keep. I'm already going to take time out for Saturday."  
  
"Yeah, so is that how it's going to be? I have to make an appointment to see you or talk to you? What if I'm feeling down or bored and I just maybe want to go to the park with you or something? You're just going to say, oh sorry, I've got work?"  
  
"Well, responsibilities are responsibilities, and in order for me to keep things running smoothly, that's the way it's going to be. I can't just suddenly alter my plans because you're randomly suffering from ennui. I believe your time is up; I have to start reviewing financial reports when I—"  
  
"Don't treat me like one of your damn employees! I'm not, okay? Your time is up? What the hell is that? I don't need to spend time with you, but I want to. I want to know you, to have fun, to just enjoy my time here, to have a reason to stay at this silly school. I'm guessing you've never had a girlfriend before? Having one and keeping one takes responsibilities too, you know."  
  
"My position as CEO is my life, not you, not school, not anyone else. If I'm not as dedicated as I am, I'm going to be career-less soon. Is that what you want? You think I have all the time in the world so that I can drop everything for you, because you are just so damn special? That you're the highlight of my life and I'm going to stop everything I need and just do what you want me to? Is that it? Newsflash, you aren't."  
  
"No, I—"  
  
"Well that's what it sounds like. See you tomorrow," Kaiba spat and walked away.  
  
Lily walked in the other direction, towards the front of the school. She stared at her feet, remembering all the arguments she had in the past that ruined good relationships, except this time she might not even get a chance at a relationship, not even a friendly one. She just had a knack for bringing the worst out of people. She was slowly walking towards her apartment. Suddenly Kaiba's car whizzed past her and the wind messed up her hair. As she tried to smooth it out she forced her tears to stay in._ I don't need to cry. I don't need this. I've been through worse arguments and made it out. This doesn't even matter. It's not like I just broke up with my boyfriend or got in a fight with my best friend...I can handle this. This is...nothing.  
_  
She slept early that night, bored and alone, and fell into a deep slumber before Kaiba called.  
  
_Hey, you've reached Lily. Obviously I haven't answered the phone, meaning I'm either in the shower, sleeping, or it's not turned on. Hah, so leave a message. BEEP  
_  
::silence:: I... ::silence:: I'm... ::silence::  
  
And then he hung up.


	4. Playing Hooky

The next morning Lily woke up late and cranky. As she was putting her cell into her bag, she noticed it said 1 missed call and new voicemail. Curious to what he was going to say, she listened to it. Nothing. _Oh, well that's nice. Blank voicemail. Thank you. I don't know what I would do without a blank voicemail. It's just the best thing I could get in the whole world._ She started walking to school when the memories of the argument revisited her mind. _Drop everything for you because you are just so special?...see you tomorrow. How do you like that? You won't see me today._ She felt a tinge of hurt and anger, and she turned around and went back to her apartment and changed out of her uniform. Bored, she did her weekly report to her father via email and then signed on to AIM to chat. Her friends however weren't on, duh, because they were at school, like she was _supposed_ to be. She turned on the TV. Nothing. She'd have to order cable soon. Frustrated, she walked to the mall. The shops weren't open; she'd have to wait two hours until 10:30. No problem. Leaning against the wall, she took out her earphones and cranked up the music.  
  
Meanwhile, Kaiba was thinking about her absence. He figured that she'd just ditch first period and get more sleep, knowing how much she enjoyed Mr. Brown's class. Lunch rolled around and he couldn't find her anywhere. He'd almost resorted to asking Tea, but didn't want to seem like he was worried or cared, after all, he didn't. Of course he didn't. Why would he care if some girl was absent? The idea that he did was just preposterous. What did that matter to him? He had nothing to do with someone choosing to skip school. Of course not. No curiosity whatsoever. He didn't care.  
  
That's why he walked around the school the whole lunch time, not even bothering to eat.  
  
At the mall Lily went on a crazed shopping spree and spent two thousand dollars buying things she didn't even need. Why? She was bored and didn't care. She had so much money, it was worthless to her. If she needed more, her dad would give it to her, no doubt about it. Her father was a billionaire and the thousand dollars was like a blade of grass in a lawn the size of an acre to him. That was why she felt it was pointless for Kaiba to work so much, I mean, it's not like he needed the money. She used to be a spoiled child, getting anything she wanted at the expense of loneliness. Sure, she had friends, but she lacked family, and that's what she needed most. That emptiness broke her down. When everything she knew fell apart, she decided to move, maybe start new. It wasn't as if she had her sight set on Japan. She spun the globe and that's where her finger landed. She figured it was good as any other place.  
  
Back at school, Kaiba accepted the fact that she wasn't coming to school. He wasn't sad. He was angry. Every little thing was building up inside of him and overhearing a kid set him off.  
  
"Did you hear? Lily, that new girl, isn't here today. I bet she was rejected by Kaiba or something and was too humiliated to come to school. Isn't that pathetic?"  
  
"Er..."  
  
"Why aren't you laughing?"  
  
"::points behind him:: that's why."  
  
"Who are you to say what I did or did not say? You have no idea, actually what is really going on. Do you really know why she's not here today? I don't, so why don't you tell me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. K-kk-aiba."  
  
"If I hear you spreading these lies again, you'll be sorry you'll never hear the end of it." With that, he stormed off.  
  
The next day went pretty much the same way.  
  
He had thought about her long and hard. This was his chance to escape. He could regain his control by letting come to him. After all, she was the one who decided to ditch class, not him. She was the one who yelled first, not him. She was the one who didn't explain why she wasn't there. It was her fault, but why did he feel so guilty? That argument could have ended any possible relationship if nobody was to say anything. It nipped it in the bud. Calling her now would be the magic fertilizer to cause the plant to bloom out of control. Certainly Kaiba wouldn't, after all, it wasn't his fault, and why would he want to risk losing control again?  
  
That argument could have been the mark of their estrangement. He'd never have to worry about her again if she kept up her absence. He wouldn't need to spend time away from working; he wouldn't need to put up with more rumors, or the overall distraction of girls, the sight of her, the tingly feeling he'd get when they touched on accident, having someone to ease the boredom of school, being able to relax and not worry about keeping up his icy persona...so staying separate was a good thing, of course.  
  
Letting Lily call first was the plan of action. He sat near the phone and thought some more. He was doing the best thing for himself. Why would he want to put himself into the foreign territory of dating? What even possessed him to ask her out? I know! (duh, I'm writing, ok, sorry.) He had been staring at her, thinking about her, admiring how she was so confident and strong, like him. He figured she had a strong family bond to fall back on, to encourage her, that made her who she was. He was all caught up in her vibe that he was taken off guard when she commented about his staring. He panicked, covered it, but panicked nonetheless, and that's why he asked. It seemed like the right response, at that time.  
  
He regretted saying that as he thought about it more. He figured if he didn't do that, they wouldn't be in this mess and he'd be seeing her at school. Wait, he didn't want that, he was supposed to want her out of his life, for things to be solitary and dependable. After all, there's no one you can really count on but yourself.  
  
It was 8:00, Thursday night, and Kaiba paced in front of his telephone. Ten minutes later, he picked it up, and set it back down, and immediately picked it up again. He started to dial...  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, uh, it's me."  
  
"Oh, uh, okay."  
  
"So, you weren't at school today and yesterday. Are you feeling ill?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh, well, that's good to hear, uh..."  
  
"Is there a reason why you called?"  
  
"Oh, yes, well, tomorrow's Friday."  
  
"Naturally, comes after Thursday."  
  
"Yeah, well, that lab is due, and, well, we're partners—"  
  
"And you're concerned that if I don't do my part you'll get a bad grade?"  
  
"No, I just, wanted to know if you were coming..."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Uhm."  
  
::silence::  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"I'm still here."  
  
"Have you decided yet?"  
  
"Well, I could just not go to school go shopping everyday, get my grades after six weeks showing that I'm flunking and my dad will force me to move somewhere else and I can either do that all over again or actually try."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah, or there's the possibility that I could actually go to school tomorrow and pass my classes with flying colors and stay."  
  
"Huh."  
  
"So, not that you care, but what do you think I should do? Oh, or am I not special enough to ask for your opinion?"  
  
"Look, I didn't mean—"  
  
"Yeah? A lot of people don't mean to do things, okay? I didn't mean to lose my best friend, but what did I do? I did. I freakin screwed it up. It happened and there's nothing I can do now. It's just too late. A lot of parents don't mean to screw their kids over by hurting them physically or emotionally but does that happen out there? Yeah. It does. So whether or not you meant it Seto Kaiba, you said it, and that's that."  
  
"I didn't call to get yelled at."  
  
"Fine, why did you call?"  
  
"I...just wanted to know why you weren't at school and if you were ok."  
  
"Because I didn't feel like it and yes I'm fine."  
  
"Because I didn't feel like it is not a reason. Was it me?"  
  
"Well, you did hurt me, and I didn't know what I would say to you anyway, so I guess I just wanted to avoid it."  
  
"Oh, well, I...sorry."  
  
"I should be apologizing."  
  
"No—"  
  
"Yes. I get rather bitter and angry at anything...sometimes I'm just as stubborn as you, so I argue a lot. I'm...glad you called."  
  
"Yeah, so you're coming tomorrow?"  
  
"Well, you never answered my question."  
  
"You're not making this easy for me, are you?"  
  
"Well, where's the fun in that?"  
  
"I'll get you back for this."  
  
"Oh, sorry, was that a yes or a no?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh dear, it seems like I've forgotten the question. Yes what?"  
  
"Come to school tomorrow."  
  
"That's all I wanted to hear."  
  
"::grunt::"  
  
"::laughing:: so that lab is due tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You want to fill me in?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Do you want to help me in any way?"  
  
"Hmm, no."  
  
"Fine. See ya tomorrow."  
  
Lily went to sleep with a smile even though she didn't even bother looking at her lab.

-----

okay, i was feeling very very sarcastic when i wrote this, hehe, so yeah. so even though these first few chapters are a tad bit, ok maybe not just a tad, slow...i've got a great idea for later on, and i'm excited, so bear with me, and review so i dont feel bad...


	5. Tricksy, Tricksy

I hope everyone had an AWESOME fourth of July.

I did. hehe, but the weather was rather hot, though, but there's nothing like a nice cold slushie to cool you down.

-----

Friday morning came way too early, even though she did get almost ten hours of sleep. She forced herself to get up and get ready for school. One day of leisure and her body already lost its normal discipline.  
  
"Give me your lab report."  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on. Hand it over."  
  
"No, you should have done it yourself."  
  
"Aww, Seto, pwetty please? ::pout::"  
  
"That's not going to work on me."  
  
"Mean."  
  
"::sigh:: here you go..."  
  
"I knew you'd—"  
  
"NOT."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Come on, we don't want to be late for class, now."  
  
::ring::  
  
"Fine."  
  
English was ever so fun! And nothing beats three classes in a row where everyone is asking why you were absent, I mean what could be better? And so, after around four torturous hours, lunch came. Lily was about to get into the lunch line when her cell went off.  
  
Knowing that only one person knew her number, she answered, "Hey, handsome," and grinned even though he couldn't see it.  
  
"Lunch?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Lockers in five?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Three."  
  
Lily ditched her place in line and made for the empty buildings. She found Kaiba leaning against the lockers.  
  
"Take forever."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"So, where do you want to eat?"  
  
"Oh, anywhere's fine," Lily responded as she linked her arm in his. The two walked towards the parking lot.  
  
"Hmm, well I was thinking, what do Americans like to eat? McDonalds?"  
  
"Just because I'm American doesn't mean I automatically love burgers and fries."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'd trade McDonalds for a good bowl of noodle soup any day."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
Kaiba opened the passenger door to his silver Mercedes SLK320 before getting into the car himself.  
  
"Wow, so chivalrous."  
  
"Don't like it?"  
  
"No, just surprising that's all."  
  
"What can I say?"  
  
"You could start with where we're going."  
  
"That's a surprise."  
  
"Oooh, I love surprises."  
  
"Good."  
  
::two seconds pass::  
  
"Tell me!"  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on! I'm dying to know as well as from hunger."  
  
"No."  
  
"Fine. Drive faster, old woman."  
  
"I'm doing 40 already and there are so many cars!"  
  
"Says the old woman as everyone zooms by."  
  
"I don't need a ticket."  
  
"You won't get a ticket."  
  
"Yes, I will."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Well, with such a pessimistic attitude of course you will."  
  
"Told you so. We're here."  
  
"See? You didn't. Way to go old lady!"  
  
"Stop with the old lady thing already."  
  
"Fine. ::opening door::"  
  
"Well, go on already. I thought you were hungry."  
  
"I can't. Old ladies first."  
  
"I don't find that amusing."  
  
"Ah, but I do."  
  
"Mr. Kaiba, it's a pleasure to serve you today, right this way."  
  
"Wow, speedy service. I should have met you ages ago," Lily said as she took off her jacket before sitting down, "Aren't you hot? Take off your jacket."  
  
"Anxious to get my clothes off?"  
  
"Ooh, dirty, sorry, but no."  
  
"Would you like anything to drink, sir?"  
  
"Coke."  
  
"And for the lady?"  
  
"Oh, water's fine."  
  
"Very well."  
  
"Insisting on wearing your jacket?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I do not wish to reveal my arms."  
  
"Ah, ashamed? Pale, unmuscular, sickly arms?"  
  
"No. I have you to thank for that wonderful trick you did the other day."  
  
"Me?" Lily inquired innocently.  
  
"The pen you used won't come off."  
  
Rule #2: Writing on skin? Sharpies are the way to go.  
  
All Lily could do was laugh. Here she was, eating lunch with a professional businessman, and he wouldn't take of his jacket because of a few numbers on his wrist. Talk about silly. She had never met a man more cautious of his public appearance before.  
  
The two talked and ate and lost track of the time. Tsk tsk tsk. They had the same math class and their arms were linked as they walked down the hall. As they reached the classroom, Kaiba opened the door and immediately his arm flew to his side and his face turned emotionless.  
  
"Excuse us for being late, we were called into guidance and oh, we seemed to have forgotten to get a pass."  
  
"Ok, I'll let it slide this time."  
  
"Thank you," they said simultaneously.  
  
Lily figured not to push it and kept quiet all throughout class. She even did her homework the last five minutes of class instead of talking. Although she was a bit taken aback by Kaiba's awkward behavior upon entering the class, she dismissed it and focused on their successful lie. Well actually, she didn't do anything. Kaiba was the one who told the story and was amazed by how smooth a liar he was. Whether that was a good or bad thing she had yet to find out. Lily mentally sang praises when the bell rang. Her rejoicing was cut short by the realization that she had not successfully managed to take Kaiba's lab and copy it. In fact, her whole plan to do something about that was forgotten until now. As she caught up with Kaiba in the hallway, she hid her worry and put on a smile.  
  
"All right class, first things first. Please turn in your lab at the front desk and then we'll get started on our lecture for today."  
  
Lily noticed everyone filing at the front and handing in their papers. She had to think hard and fast to get credit, too.  
  
"Ok, all papers in? This is the final call."  
  
By now everyone was at their desks, getting out paper to take notes.  
  
Walking up to the desk, Lily said, "Oh, I forgot to write my name," as she flipped through the papers. Finding Kaiba's she took it out.  
  
"That's Mr. Kaiba's paper."  
  
"Oh, yeah. You see, I just moved here, and I don't have a printer, and so since Seto is my lab partner, I went over to his house to work on it and catch up those two days I was sick. So we stayed up pretty late, and I guess I just forgot to print another one. I hope you understand."  
  
"Ok, but make sure next time you each have separate reports when I ask for it. We'll have plenty of group projects in the future."  
  
"Thank you for understanding."  
  
Everyone thought the bell would never ring. It was Friday, so everyone was anxious to get out even more than normal. Although Lily had plenty of make- up homework to do, she didn't care. She'd probably do it all Sunday night anyway. The first thing she was going to do was bump up her date from Saturday to Friday night. In fact, with a little female persuasion, he'd be spending the rest of the day with her.  
  
"Well, that was a clever stunt you pulled."  
  
"Don't think you're the only one who can stretch the truth."  
  
"No, I think yours was an outright lie."  
  
"Well thank you very much," Lily commented and took out almost all her books and nearly dropping them, "Ah, I swear, the teachers are trying to kill me."  
  
"They're getting you back for what you just did."  
  
"You're right. They're conspiring against me."  
  
"Here, I'll hold them."  
  
"Why thank you, Seto, that's so sweet of you."  
  
Kaiba cringed at that word, "Don't push it."  
  
"Okay, okay."  
  
"I suppose you'll be needing a ride?"  
  
"Naturally."  
  
The two got into his convertible. It took practically two seconds to get to her apartment.  
  
"Pick you up tomorrow night at six?"  
  
"Aren't you going to walk me up and help me with my books?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Don't be too thrilled about it."  
  
So the two walked up to her apartment and to stall, Lily said, "Hey, do you want a tour? It's a whopping two and a half rooms!"  
  
"Ok. But after that, I'm going."  
  
"More work?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, yes."  
  
"Stay. You can do your work here."  
  
"I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay. What if your parents come home and find me here? I'm not sure they'll appreciate it."  
  
"So Mokuba didn't tell you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I live here by myself...See? One bed. My parents aren't around and they never will be."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't. My dad's never been much of a dad. He's actually in Hawaii right now, and my mom's been gone since I was two."  
  
"Oh. How do you pay for your expenses?"  
  
"I'm sent 8000 dollars a month."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yeah, my dad's rich and because of that I've kind of lost the value of money, since it gets thrown at me. Any problem I have, my dad sends a check."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"But I'm used to it now, I guess. I bet your thinking how pathetic I am right now."  
  
"No, not at all. Your situation is not all too different than mine, but I don't want to dampen your spirits with a depressing story."  
  
"Oh. You'll tell me when the time's right."  
  
"So..."  
  
"Let's do something fun."  
  
"Like?"  
  
"OOOH! Let's go watch the new movie The Notebook!"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Come on! And then we'll come back and I'll cook you the best dinner you'll ever have."  
  
"Er..."  
  
"Oh! And we can get pearl tea drinks too! Come on; get your butt of the sofa, which reminds me, I have to order cable. Oh, wait. I've gotta change. I can't go out in this dinky uniform," Lily said and went inside her room. Ten minutes later she came out with khakis and a navy blue long sleeved shirt with a red t-shirt on top of that. Once out of her uniform, she had a much more don't-mess-with-me kind of look.

-----

Ah, i want to watch the movie The Notebook, although my wonderful sister, when i told her, was like EEEEWWWW, because she saw those people kissing in the preview. she is at that wonderful, non-irritating, hardly ever annoying, never interrupting me, age of 11. She makes my life just too fun.

Well, summer's going great, i hope it is that way with you guys too, and uh, review.


	6. Melting IceCream

Okay, I haven't actually watched the Notebook, so I can't really talk much about that, sorry.

-----

"Ok, so if I knew you were taking me to a chick-flick, I would have stopped you."  
  
"That's the price you pay for being cooped up in work all the time," Lily smirked and noticed everyone coming out red-eyed.  
  
"It was horrible."  
  
"It was nice."  
  
"What a waste of my time."  
  
"I enjoyed it."  
  
"Geez, what's with these people?"  
  
"Hey mister, I saw you shedding a few tears in there."  
  
"I so did not."  
  
"Did too. You can admit it, you _have_ a soft side."  
  
At this point Lily really wanted Kaiba to put his arm around her and them to just walk around downtown a bit and just enjoy things. She didn't explore much of the city yet, but was definitely anxious to. Little did she know her wish was about to come true.  
  
"So, did you walk around town when you ditched those two days?"  
  
"Nah, I did a bit of shopping, why?"  
  
"Well, why don't I give you a tour of the city? We've got an hour or so before that dinner you promised."  
  
"All right." At that Kaiba started walking towards his car, expecting her to follow, but Lily just stood there. Sensing her absence he turned around, "Don't you want to come?"  
  
"I...was hoping we could walk?"  
  
"Walk?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Er, why not?" Kaiba shrugged.  
  
The two started to walk side by side, almost a foot apart, but Lily slipped her hand into his and they walked a bit before she said, "Hey look! Ice cream!" and the two went in the shop.  
  
"Hmm, I'll have strawberry, what about you?"  
  
"Oh, I don't want any."  
  
"You don't like ice cream?"  
  
::shrug::  
  
"Fine, suit yourself."  
  
They stepped back onto the street and Kaiba started to explain where everything was, which stores were good, which were bad, etc. "And over here, I'm sure you'll be interested to know, is the most popular clothing designer store in Japa—" Lily cut him off by sticking a scoop of ice cream in his mouth.  
  
"Isn't it good? Here, have some more!"  
  
Moving his head away he said, "No, it's okay. I don't want any."  
  
"But it's good."  
  
"No."  
  
"Eat it."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes, do it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because."  
  
"No."  
  
"Cummon, just eat—"  
  
"Lily? Is that you?"  
  
She stuck the spoon into the cup and turned to the direction where the voice came from.  
  
"Mike? MIKE! What are you doing here?" she gave Kaiba her ice cream and ran over to him to give him a huge hug.  
  
"I should be asking you."  
  
"Wow, it's great to see you! How long has it been? Two years?"  
  
"Yeah, your 8th grade summer."  
  
"Too long, how'd you know I was here?"  
  
"Ahem."  
  
"Huh? Oh sorry. Seto this is Mike, Mike, Seto."  
  
"Ah, nice to meet you."  
  
"You too."  
  
"So...hey, you better not be Lily's boyfriend, are you?"  
  
"And what if I am?"  
  
"Oh, cocky, are we?"  
  
"Mike, drop it. I'm 16. Don't you think I'm entitled to date?"  
  
"As your brother, it's my duty to protect you from horny teenage boys."  
  
"Mike! Seto's a great guy, I trust him, so can you."  
  
"I didn't know you had a brother."  
  
"Yeah, he's the best. He's studying at Oxford, so shouldn't you be studying? You know, instead of being here?"  
  
"Is that how you treat people when they visit you?" Mike teased, "It's a long story, and I'd love to catch up right now, but it looks like I'm interrupting your date. What do you say to tomorrow? Say, uh, five-ish?"  
  
"Five? How about we do lunch? I can make that favorite steak you like so much. You know my place?"  
  
"Yeah, dad filled me in. Wonderful. See you then, Lily. Seto, nice meeting you."  
  
"That was your brother?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"He looks nothing like you."  
  
"We didn't get to spend much time together, but every minute we did, I enjoyed very much. ::sigh::"  
  
"Something wrong?" Kaiba handed her the melted ice cream.  
  
"You won't eat ice cream. Haha. No, I just wonder why he's here."  
  
"I'm sure everything is fine. I bet he's just checking up on us," Kaiba smirked and put his arm around Lily.  
  
"So you're officially my boyfriend, huh?"  
  
"That's what it looks like."  
  
"What about school?"  
  
"Your call."  
  
"I think we'll keep us on a low profile; is that your stomach grumbling?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm starting to get hungry."  
  
"You know why?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Didn't eat the ice cream."  
  
"Why do you care so much about the ice cream?"  
  
"You don't like it."  
  
"So?"  
  
"That's why."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I thought you said you were hungry."  
  
"How bout I buy dinner, save you the work?"  
  
"Are you scared of my cooking?"  
  
"No, I just—"  
  
"Uh huh..."  
  
"I just thought—"  
  
"M-hmm..."  
  
"Will you quit interrupting me?"  
  
"No. Oh, I'm hungry. You know what we should do afterwards?"  
  
"What."  
  
"Go to that dance tonight, you know the back to school one, or whatever."  
  
"No."  
  
"Aww, first no ice cream, now no dance?"  
  
"I'm up for dinner."  
  
"I'm not, if you're not going to the dance."  
  
"Then I'll just eat dinner without you," Kaiba motioned to leave.  
  
"Oh no you don't," Lily said and held onto his waist.  
  
"You're gonna stop me by hugging me?"  
  
"No, you'll never be able to drive like this," following Kaiba to his car.  
  
"Not unless I..." Kaiba began to tickle her sides and she squealed and instantly burst into laughter and released her grasp.  
  
"Hey, that's cheating," she said, hitting him on the chest.  
  
Lily leaned against the car, waiting for him to respond with his shrug or smirk and just unlock the car.  
  
_Oh yeah? What do you think of this?_ Moving in closer to her, he slowly leaned in to kiss her, his body slightly pushing into hers and his nervous system just going crazy. For five seconds he was in heaven, the ecstasy he felt from taste of her, and that hint of strawberry.  
  
"You never cease to surprise me, Seto Kaiba. I've changed my mind about dinner. Let's go."  
  
"And that dance?"  
  
"I'll let you slide on this one, but we are so going to the next."  
  
"I can't complain," he said, opening the car door.  
  
The two had a great time at dinner, talking and laughing. Afterwards Kaiba walked her to her apartment and kissed her good night, confirming the next day's plans. He would pick Lily up from her place after her brother left.  
  
Mike arrived at Lily's promptly at 12:00 for lunch. The two discussed their lives, how each was doing, etc. It turned out Mike was dropping out of school to pick up a top management position at their father's company, ChanTech, actually the second highest postion. All Lily knew was that it sold computers and was rather successful. She took the news rather badly, because she knew how much he wanted to study at Oxford. He was there, his dream playing out, and he was going to give it all up for some lousy excuse for a father, just because he was paranoid about people ruining him? He was to be his successor, since their father trusted no one, and barely trusted his own family. He would start on Monday and decided to visit Lily on his brief vacation. Actually, he was shocked she decided to move in the middle of high school and wanted to know why. Disappointment arose upon hearing a lousy excuse, but he knew he wasn't in a position to boss her around; doing so would not be of any benefit.  
  
Mokuba talked himself into going out with Seto, and so the Kaiba brothers picked Lily up at 3:45, and she wanted to go shopping, to the dismay of the two males. Mokuba had hoped to go to the new game center and Seto figured he'd leave his brother in the care of their body guards, giving him some alone time with Lily. In the end, the three played games for an hour before Lily dragged the two shopping. Luckily for Seto, she decided not to buy much, otherwise he'd be stuck carrying everything for her and being bored at the same time. Also, Mokuba started to complain of hunger and so the three went to eat. Since there was a young eleven year old in their company, the couple couldn't stay out late and retired for the night at 9:30.  
  
Sunday rolled around, and Lily was swamped with schoolwork. She took forever to do everything, mostly because she kept on getting distracted since homework is so, so fun.  
  
The week was pretty uneventful and everyday after school the two would spend time at Lily's because she was concerned if Kaiba were to be at his home, all he would do was work, work, work, and she'd be forced to hang out with Mokuba. Not that Mokuba was boring, she just would rather spend time with her boyfriend. The exception was Thursday, in which their science teacher announced a big project for the grading period. It would consist of a visual aid, presentation, report, and a personal reflection on how the project went. Kaiba, Lily, Tristan and Joey were in the same group and decided on meeting on Saturday at four at Tristan's house. Her mother would either cook or order pizza for dinner as they worked.  
  
The group meeting on Saturday forced Seto and Lily to change their date to Friday night. It was almost all usual activity; they were dressed out formally for dinner, except that Lily ordered several drinks and didn't know they contained alcohol. She may have had a serious attitude problem, but she was clean, so she became pretty intoxicated. Kaiba had to carry her to her room because she fell asleep and he couldn't wake her up. By the time they reached her room after climbing up several flights of stairs (The elevator was conveniently broken) he was tired out and put her on the sofa as he sat himself. He had meant to rest a little bit and then leave but fell asleep.  
  
The next morning, Kaiba woke up and felt something warm. The events of the previous night entered his mind and everything became clear. He rather enjoyed the feeling of her body lying on top of his, with her head resting on his chest. When he realized that his hand was resting on the top of her breast, he quickly removed it and decided to get up and take a shower.  
  
A few minutes later, Lily woke up in an uncomfortable position with a mild- severe headache. She didn't remember how she got home, but didn't bother thinking about it. After all, it only mattered that she was home. She noticed she was not wearing her pajamas and stumbled to her room, eyes closed and took out some clothes and found a towel after fumbling around several drawers. As she was entering the bathroom, she slipped off her clothes. She had heard the noise of the water in the shower, but thought it was just some noise she was just hearing in her head and stepped into it. The water hit her bare skin and she became confused; she didn't turn on the water. She opened her eyes to find Seto and screamed. As he turned around, she frantically covered herself with the shower curtain and asked, "Holy shit! What are you doing here?"  
  
"I should be asking you," Kaiba calmly said, turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist.  
  
"How did you get into my apartment?"  
  
"You don't remember that you got drunk and passed out or something? I had to carry you all the way here and I guess I was so tired I accidentally spent the night."  
  
"Oh, well that explains my headache, and I guess, thanks, for looking out for me."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Now get out of my bathroom!"  
  
"Okay, okay."  
  
"Wait, why didn't you lock the door?"  
  
"It's broken, check for yourself, er...maybe later," he said, eyeing her shower curtain "dress."  
  
I guess there's nothing like finding someone in your shower to wake you up in the morning.

-----

Hehe, I was a bit preoccupied with ice-cream when I wrote this...haha, well review!


	7. Petty Arguments

Chapter Seven:

As Lily cooked breakfast, they discussed what happened and agreed that it was just an accident, and neither should be embarrassed, since they both were in great physical shape, hehe. They just hung out before going to Tristan's for the silly school project.  
  
They had arrived late together and showed up very enthusiastically about starting. In fact they were so excited that they didn't bother to greet Tristan or Joey when they got there. Kaiba responded to their welcome with 'let's get this over with.'  
  
Starting out poorly, the four argued over who would do what part of the project. They had decided two would work on the visual aid, a 3 ft by 6 ft poster, and two others on the report. Lily suggested that she work with Tristan, so that it wouldn't look like she really wanted to be with Kaiba, although deep inside, she hoped they'd get some alone time. Kaiba and Joey both protested, well aware of the fact that they couldn't get along. They started to insult each other, and that was a surprise like the sun rises every day. (I did not come up with that analogy. I heard it on the radio and I actually thought it was rather good, so I stuck it in there.) Joey suggested that he work with Lily, but Tristan said otherwise, because he knew she'd probably humiliate him if he tried anything. He declared that he and Joey would work on the report and the other two on the poster, much to Joey's dismay.  
  
Their topic was electron configurations, and so for the poster, Lily and Kaiba agreed on drawing a periodic table as well as diagrams explaining how things worked.  
  
Joey complained of hunger thirty minutes into their work and Tristan's mother already went out to go pick up the pizza. Tristan took him to the kitchen, leaving Lily and Kaiba to themselves in his room.  
  
Kaiba muttered something about a mutt before Lily told him she finished one of the diagrams. He was sketching another on the floor and rose and turned around, extending his hand to see how she did. She was already two feet from him, though, and his hand brushed against her chest. He started to stutter and apologize profusely, and said, "Oh, sorry! I, uh, didn't mean to touch your, uh, sorry. I just, it was an accident, I—"  
  
"Stop, it's okay."  
  
"I am so sorry," he faltered.  
  
"It's not a problem."  
  
"I'm sor—" Lily cut him off again by putting her lips on his and fiercely kissing him until they were both out of breath, "Now, if I was offended by what you did, would I have done that?"  
  
"No."  
  
That kiss set off a flood of emotions in Kaiba, which he managed to suppress until now. Ever since he saw her in the shower, he wanted her, but knew it would be too soon. He didn't even know what she wanted, but since he knew she was fine with kissing, he did so. She returned his desire and dragged him towards the bed. He crawled on top of her, his long trench coat covering the both of them. As she started to unbuckle his belt, Joey and Tristan entered the room carrying chips.  
  
"What the hell? Since when were you two, eew!" yelled a disgusted Joey, turning his head from the two.  
  
"That's disgusting! Agh! Get off my bed!!!" Tristan cringed.  
  
"It's not like you actually saw anything," Kaiba smirked and although their clothes fully secure again, they continued to make out.  
  
"Shut up, Kaiba, why don't you guys get yourself a room?" spat Joey.  
  
Reluctantly breaking away, Lily replied, "We _did_, until you guys came back."  
  
"But it was MY room!!!" Tristan wailed.  
  
"Hey, you left."  
  
"My poor bed! I have to go change the sheets! AHH! ::breaks down::"  
  
"You two shouldn't be partners anymore; I think _I_ should work with Lily, and keep things professional."  
  
"You're just jealous because you haven't been close to dating a girl, much less being intimate with one, mutt."  
  
"Why I oughtta..." (Fight FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Haha, ok, no, despite how much I want to turn this silly...I can't. So, Tristan is going to hold him back and not let him punch the crap outta Kaiba, or would it be the other way around? Although, he'd like to get him back for screwing a girl on his bed. (he thought they actually did it, but they'd have to be a few minutes late for that to have happened) HIS BED! ::he shudders::)  
  
"Let's just hurry up and get this project over with."  
  
"Why? So you can go off with Kaiba and do, ahem, things?"  
  
"Well, he is my boyfriend. We are entitled to show affection, so to speak."  
  
"Boyfriend?! Why would you want to be with someone who doesn't care about anyone else but himself?"  
  
"Hey...Well, I happen to know he loves his brother very much."  
  
"His brother maybe, but that's probably the extent of it."  
  
"Believe what you want."  
  
"You're standing up for him? I've been here longer than you have, and I know a jerk when I see one. And you're not much better if you're gonna support that."  
  
"I have the right to do whatever I want to, even if you have a problem with it."  
  
"You're certainly not as smart as I thought you'd be. And here I was, thinking _I_ was stupid for thinking I had a chance with you, when all along, I wouldn't want to be with you anyway!"  
  
"I'm sorry, what was that? Oh, you're stupid and don't have a chance? That's right, I wouldn't want to be with you."  
  
"Hey, if you weren't a girl, I'd beat the shit outta you."  
  
"You couldn't even if you tried," she said, immaturely sticking out her tongue.  
  
"I am sick and tired of your snide remarks. At least I have _friends_."  
  
"Well, at least I have a brain."  
  
"Cut it out you two," Tristan intervened, "this is a childish argument; we should just get back to work. Actually, I'd never thought I'd see the day when Kaiba would have a girlfriend; it just seems weird."  
  
"You got that right," Joey added.  
  
"If you as much let a peep out about us, I'll ruin you forever, but then again, seems like you've done a pretty good job of that yourself already."  
  
"Why don't you just mind your own business and I'll stick to mine?"  
  
"Fine by me, Wheeler. Lily, let's finish this and bounce."  
  
"Okay, all we have to do is color it and paste them on the poster. And a title."  
  
The two had only the title left when Tristan's mother came back with food. She insisted that they eat, she had ordered three pizzas and needed someone to get rid of them. Kaiba and Lily desperately wanted to just go out and eat dinner together, but out of respect for her as a caring mother, they stayed.  
  
Thinking Lily was a sweet girl, she said, "That's an adorable outfit there, sweetie. I hope these boys haven't been giving you trouble," she eyed them and they smiled innocently and shook their heads.  
  
She may have looked young and naïve, but Lily was no goody-goody. However, she never knew her mother, and because of that, she acted respectfully and politely. She couldn't tell off a woman warmly hosting her son's friends, so she responded with a smile, "Oh, thank you."  
  
The five forced out more small talk before Lily and Kaiba left. Their original plans for dinner were altered, since Tristan's mom forced them to eat. She said something along the lines of, "Oh, you should eat more! You're too skinny!"  
  
-----  
  
As the weeks passed, Kaiba and Lily kept their steady relationship, and had minimal fights. The two spent much time together, mostly because Lily always complained of boredom. They hadn't gone all the way because Lily said something about getting married first. Even so, the two had so much fun together, going to the beach, riding in Kaiba's personal jet, and of course dinner and movie combos. Kaiba had finally told a detailed history of his past, and the story brought the two closer. That, with a little help from Mokuba, enabled Lily to convince Kaiba to take her to the winter dance right before the Christmas holiday break.  
  
The two entered the school gym as the song _Fiesta_ blasted from the speakers.  
  
"What did my ears ever do to you to deserve this kind of treatment?"  
  
"Just dance," Lily smirked and started strutting her moves. As the song ended, Kaiba announced that he was going to get them some drinks, if he could find any other than the punch bowl that someone no doubt spiked. He didn't need another drunken Lily to handle.  
  
Since Kaiba decided to sit out the next few dances, Lily went off without him. Some random guy asked her to dance as _Turn off the Lights_ started playing, so she accepted. When it ended, she was going to go see how Kaiba was doing, but then she saw him dueling Joey outside as she passed by the entrance and she let him be. _Family Affair_ came on and she spotted Duke Devlin. She hadn't seen him much at school, but she figured she'd rather dance with him than another random guy who tried to touch her too much. It turned out that Devlin was a great dancer himself, so a circle formed around two couples. Tea was dancing too, with a kid Lily didn't know, James. It became kind of a competition as the two couples showed off.  
  
Yugi found the Joey and Kaiba and said, "Joey, you've got to see this."  
  
"Can't you see I'm a little busy Yug?"  
  
"Yeah, he's rather busy getting his ass kicked in this duel."  
  
"Everyone's stopped dancing and are watching Tea and Lily face off."  
  
"Yeah? What's the big deal? Scared that my girl is beating yours?"  
  
"No, I'm just saying they're really good. Well, I'm gonna go back now. Come if you like."  
  
The three only got back for a minute or so until the song ended. Lily said to Tea, "You're pretty good," she pushed past Tea, "for an amateur."  
  
"I see Kaiba's arrogance has rubbed off onto you."  
  
"You don't know who you're messing with," she smirked and walked off with Kaiba.  
  
"Just let it go, Tea, don't get worked up over a silly comment."  
  
"I can't Yugi, I know she's better than that, but she's acting like scum. She thinks that just because she's going out with Kaiba means that she's so much superior to us all."  
  
_Truly Madly Deeply_ started to play, so Lily danced with Kaiba. She rested her head against his chest and their bodies swayed to the music. The whole night was great, and to Lily it seemed as if her bad luck had gone away. She was happier and very adjusted to her new lifestyle, even though she still didn't have friends. All she cared about was Kaiba because he's the only one she spent time with, and since their relationship was getting closer. With Yugi and his friends, she managed to avoid them most of the time. Everything was going perfectly until Lily received a phone call after Kaiba dropped her off. The call surprised her; no one had her number except Kaiba and her father. She knew her father wouldn't call her at this hour and she had just seen Kaiba a few seconds ago, but she answered it anyway, "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, I am looking for Lily Chan."  
  
"That's me, may I ask who's calling?" she inquired, not recognizing the voice.  
  
"I'm Robert, one of your dad's advisors. I'm sorry for calling this late, but I have important news regarding your family."  
  
"Uhm, okay?"  
  
"Yes, forensics has just confirmed it, Lily, I'm sorry to tell you this, especially over the phone, but your father and brother have passed away."

-----

okay, so i know this chapter is a bit lame, but it's crucial to the following chapters, so review anyway.


	8. What's Going On?

Just one more week of summerschool.............ahh! too long...noo....

-----

"What do you mean?"  
  
"The officials say it's suicide."  
  
"Suicide? Are you kidding me?"  
  
"I assure you, Miss, this is no joke."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"They were found together in his office dead by his secretary, later inspectors said they found traces of cyanide in their systems."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Michael's wife will handle the funeral, I've given her your number."  
  
"_WIFE? He failed to mention that..._Oh, okay."  
  
"I'm sorry about the news, but, good night," he hung up.  
  
Lily sat on her bed and stared blankly into space. _Dead_, she couldn't believe it. _They couldn't have committed suicide, could they? Together, at the same time? That was preposterous, wasn't it? But they can't be GONE, I mean, they have to still be here. That's too random, they were fine last I spoke to them...wife? Why didn't he tell me he had a wife? He was supposed to be in England, studying. Fulfilling his dream, but no. He had to go and work for dad. It just doesn't make sense...  
_  
She tried to sleep, but to no avail. She decided to take a walk outside, get some fresh air, clear up her mind a bit. Dead, gone, suicide, wife; these four words danced in her mind, pushing her into confusion. She just walked a little bit and then stopped to lean against the wall and just think a little bit more. She had to make sense of things. She started to head back to her apartment until she realized she was lost. The darkness hindered her ability to recognize things. There were street lamps, but they provided minimal light.  
  
She blindly walked around, but a man grabbed her just as she recognized that she was in the alley near Yugi's grandfather's game shop. She was choking in a headlock and tried to scream and fight back by kicking and punching and just resisting in general. Her unsuccessful attempts just angered him more, causing him to beat her body against the wall. He tried to molest her but she kicked him hard in the groin and ran off. Unfortunately two seconds later four more guys showed up in front of her. As she tried to scream because she couldn't get around them, they grabbed her and slapped her, telling her to shut up. They threatened to kill her, but she resisted anyway. Consequently, they knocked her out after beating her repeatedly; her body hurt too much from the bruises to fight back, and she bled from her cheek and mouth from where she had fallen. That night she became the victim of gang rape and was left to die.  
  
The next morning Yugi was taking out the trash when he heard a cell phone ring. Noticing that nobody was around, he found it in a purse on the floor and answered it.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, I'm looking for Lily."  
  
"Lily? Uh, she's not available right now."  
  
"Can you tell her to call me back? I'm Mike's wife, Jenny, at 534-9983."  
  
"All right."  
  
_Lily? Maybe if I look in the phonebook, I can call one of her friends or something...Seto Kaiba, that means she's the one from school...I guess I'll just return this to her on Monday..._  
  
As he turned to leave, he noticed something pink and green. Because it looked so out of place, he decided to check it out. To his horror, he discovered it was Lily, her face cut and dried blood streaks on her face. Her shirt was ripped and her pajama pants as well, her bruised midsection showing. She was unconscious and after checking her pulse, Yugi knew she was still alive. He switched with Yami so that he could carry her. (he's stronger, right?) He drove Lily to the hospital and she was admitted into emergency. He waited there for the doctor's news on her situation for quite a while and decided to call Kaiba with her phone, since he didn't have his number.  
  
"Lily," Kaiba said with a grin, "anxious to see me already?"  
  
"Kaiba?"  
  
"Who's this?"  
  
"It's Yugi."  
  
"YUGI?!? What the hell are you doing with Lily's phone?"  
  
"She's hurt. I think she was attacked or something. We're at the hospital right now."  
  
"I'm on my way," Kaiba hung up and raced to his sleek, black motorcycle. He sped through the streets and weaved between hindering cars. It took him five minutes to get there, and as he was in the elevator, he straightened up his appearance. When Yugi gave him the news, he broke into a sweat and started to worry; now he had to regain his composure and hide his fret from his rival.  
  
He was admitted into her room, and found Yugi and the doctor there; immediately he demanded, "Is she going to be okay?"  
  
"Well, she's suffered much, a broken arm, broken rib, bruises, internal blee—"  
  
"Just answer the question doctor."  
  
"With plenty of rest and care, she'll be fine."  
  
"Good," Kaiba exhaled.  
  
"Oh, by the way, some lady called Lily earlier this morning; her name was Jenny, I think and I wrote down her number somewhere..." Yugi trailed off and dug in his pockets. "Oh, here you go."  
  
"Uh, okay."  
  
Yugi's phone went off, and he stepped out of the room to answer it, "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Yugi," Tea chirped.  
  
"Oh, hey Tea."  
  
"You sound tired, are you okay? We went to the shop and you weren't there."  
  
"Yeah, I'm at the hospital."  
  
"Hospital? Are you okay?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"::exhale:: so why are you there?"  
  
"Lily, well she, it's a long story, and I don't even know most of it...I think I should stay a little bit more, make sure she's okay and stuff, you know?"  
  
"Oh, _is_ she okay?"  
  
"Uh, she should be. I'm not sure if she's regained consciousness yet."  
  
"Well, I think I'm gonna go do some Christmas shopping with the guys, see you later then?"  
  
"Okay, bye."  
  
Yugi decided to stay, because he felt obligated to explain how he found her to Kaiba; it seemed like Kaiba was the only person she really knew, she didn't even have other numbers in her phone. He was also curious to know what happened. Why would she be there, and who did that to her? The doctor informed him that she was raped, but Kaiba had cut him off before he finished the list of injuries. Who would want to hurt a young girl like that? He hoped to find out soon.  
  
Yugi told Kaiba how he found her and all that he knew (besides the injuries, since he wasn't so excited about hearing them). Then he informed him that he was going to get some coffee and maybe a bagel, leaving him alone to talk to her sleeping form.  
  
"Lily...I am going to find out who did this to you, and they will be sorry they touched even a hair on your head..."  
  
He held her hand from her unbroken arm and kissed it.  
  
"You'll be okay, you'll heal..."  
  
He kissed her forehead and caressed her cheek.  
  
"You scared me, you know? I came here, and saw you just lying there, and I was completely helpless...I wanted to take away all those injuries...I can't begin to imagine the pain you went through... I can't believe I'd admit this, but I was scared, I wasn't this scared besides the times Mokuba had been in danger...if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do..."  
  
He lightly squeezed her hand.  
  
"I...you know, you're so angelic when you sleep, so at peace, so different from your energetic self when you're awake. That's what I like about you, your energy and joy that just radiates you...you've told me about your pain and loneliness, and yet you've overcome that and managed to be happy and get on with things...I know I haven't let go of my past, but when I'm with you all the pain of it is temporarily forgotten, it's so easy to enjoy life with you...and I...you've changed my life, so much, and you don't even know it. I haven't opened up to you that much, but you've really brought something great in my life, and I think that I, well I really care about you..."  
  
His eyes were so much softer and its gaze caring and a teensy bit warm. His schoolmates would have been shocked at the way he played with her hair, the way he fixed her bed sheets, the way he gently kissed her cuts and scrapes, the way he looked, longing her to wake up...You'd think she was in a coma.  
  
Lily started to move a bit and her eyes blinked open to a loving boyfriend, "Hey," she croaked.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"My arm really hurts...and I can't breathe well..."  
  
"The doctor says you have some broken bones...what happened last night?"  
  
"I don't really remember and I'm guessing I'm in a hospital? I'm kind of tired, can I go back to sleep?"  
  
"Of course," he stood up.  
  
"Seto...if you're not too busy, could you stay? Please?"  
  
"I don't intend on leaving, I'm just going to grab something to eat."  
  
"Oh, yeah, go."  
  
When Kaiba stepped out, he went back to his old image, and the Yugi, after waiting outside, entered Lily's room.  
  
He spoke first, "Lily, are you feeling better?"  
  
"Not really," she chuckled, "but thanks."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, actually, not even how I got here..."  
  
"Actually, I found you this morning and brought you here since you looked in pretty bad shape."  
  
"Oh, I guess I owe you thanks. You know, you shouldn't really be worried about me, don't spend the start of break here, go on and have fun. I'll be fine."  
  
"Are you sure? The doctor said that you were raped and I'm surprised you wouldn't remember such a traumatizing event."  
  
"The doctor _told_ you that?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, don't believe it, because it's not true."  
  
This comment shocked him, "The doctor wouldn't lie, he's got no motive to do so."  
  
"I assure you, that did not happen. Now, I thank you for bringing me here, but please leave. I don't need you here. Oh, and don't tell anyone about my situation."  
  
"Fine, I'll leave, but remember this Lily, if you keep on pushing people trying to be nice to you away, one day you'll regret it. Everyone needs friends, even Kaiba has his brother, and someday you'll need them, and you'll find that they can't help you because you've isolated yourself. It may sound cheesy, but you'll run out of strength to fight by yourself one day."  
  
"I am _fine_."  
  
"Just remember no one is strong enough to take on life by him or herself."  
  
She dismissed his little lecture and returned to slumber. Kaiba just sat next to her. Mokuba came with his laptop so he could to some work, and he would occasionally stop and just watch her, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...  
  
Several hours later, she woke up again and smiled when she saw the two Kaiba brothers' faces. She tried to sit up, but struggled, and Kaiba pressed the button thingy to bring her to a sitting postion. She immediately saw a huge Snoopy stuffed animal and several balloons, orange, green, and yellow, and smiled even wider, "Awww, that's sweet of you guys."  
  
"Well, look at that Mokuba, seems like we successfully cheered her up."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
As her stomach grumbled, she said, "What time is it?"  
  
"1:25"  
  
"No wonder why I'm hungry."  
  
"Oh, I think some woman called."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Here," he handed her the paper.  
  
"I don't know any Jenny."  
  
"So don't you do me a favor and get me some real food, not this cafeteria crap?"  
  
"Yeah, let's go Mokuba," and they left.  
  
As soon as they closed the door, she reached over to her bag and pulled out her phone to dial the number...  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, this is Lily, did someone call me?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm Jenny, and the funeral is next Saturday. I've arranged for your flight to San Francisco, just tell them this code: C34F663"  
  
"Uh, okay, well, I'm actually kind of injured, but I'm sure I'll be able to get out before then."  
  
"Yeah, I mean, you are? I hope you get better, well, bye!"  
  
_Well, she sure had a lot of energy for a recent widow._

-----

Hah, well isn't everything so suspicious. hehe, or maybe it's just nothing and i'm just playing mind games...but either way, reviewing is nice... :D


	9. What's Going On? pt 2

_I can't believe they're really gone...I never would have imagined that my family would be gone altogether at once..._  
  
The rest of the day Lily thought about things when she wasn't talking to Kaiba. She spent the rest of the week recovering, and she could move a bit better, but still with pain, although her broken rib would take three to five more weeks to fully heal. The doctors had put a cast on her arm. She still had not told Kaiba about her family situation.  
  
She was actually still confused about how she felt about everything, although she thought about it so much. She knew she was sad for her brother, but her father was a different case. She had thought she didn't care about him, but she couldn't believe he was gone. Sometimes things are taken for granted, and only until they're lost are they recognized. It was strange, because the fact that he wasn't in her life was her life. She convinced herself she didn't need parents, although she lived off his check.  
  
Lily hadn't disclosed the situation to Kaiba because she didn't want to be seen as even more weak. Being restricted to a hospital bed was degrading enough. It wasn't as if she was concerned he'd see her break down; it was the opposite: she didn't want to show that she didn't care for them. She hadn't cried a single tear; she didn't even really know her two male family members to mourn like one who did.  
  
She hadn't been allowed to leave the hospital, and wanted to handle things by herself and sneak out. By taking enough pain relievers, she could walk around. She planned how to go to California without Kaiba's help or knowledge. Before she boarded the plane, she called him to say, "I'm visiting my family; you won't see me until a few days," and hung up before he could respond.  
  
Hours later, she arrived in San Francisco, with two hours to spare before the funeral. She was given an envelope with directions to the church where it would be held. She went shopping to pass the time, and took a cab when it was about time to leave. Facing traffic on the way there, she arrived late, and his best friend was giving the eulogy. An hour later, it was over, and she went with Jenny to the cemetery where they were to be buried. She was disappointed that it was a closed casket ceremony; she hoped to say a final goodbye to them. As they started to lower the coffins, it started to rain.  
  
She was soaked the bare skin as she waited for them to finish. Returning to the hotel, Lily dried off. The next available flight was the next afternoon, so she sat in the room thinking.  
  
_Suicide, I don't believe they committed suicide. They aren't like that, but if it were murder, why would he do both at once? Wouldn't that be a bit suspicious? Who was to take over, but who'd want them dead anyway?_  
  
With a little bit of research, she discovered that headquarters were located in downtown. She took another cab to get there. Walking into the lobby, she asked to see the president of the company.  
  
"Do you have an appointment?"  
  
"Yes," she lied.  
  
"Oh, what's you name?" she asked as she clicked open a window.  
  
"Uh...::knocking over a vase on her table, sending it crashing towards the floor:: oh, I'm so sorry, I can't believe how clumsy I am."  
  
"No problem," she struggled to stay polite, and left her seat to clean up the mess. Lily glanced onto the screen and it said '5:00 Amy Smith,' "So what did you say your name was?"  
  
"Amy."  
  
"Ah, I thought you'd be white."  
  
"Oh, married one."  
  
"You look rather young to be married."  
  
"Aw, thanks, you've made my day."  
  
"His office is on the top floor."  
  
"Thank you," she asked and walked towards the elevator.  
  
::ding::  
  
Stepping out, she noticed expensive decorations everywhere, paintings, vases, and a whole wall of awards.  
  
"Well, Amy, looks like you've arrived a bit early," the man said, turning around, revealing a glass of champagne in one hand.  
  
"GAAAH! M-mike?? What are you doing alive?"  
  
Chuckling, he replied, "Lily, what a surprise. That's right, I'm supposed to be dead, huh. How was the funeral?"  
  
"This isn't funny. Why did you fake your death? I thought I'd never see you again!"  
  
"Well, guess you thought wrong then, huh?"  
  
"Well, _naturally_, since someone reported you DEAD," she said, becoming angry.  
  
"So naïve, my little sis, so concerned, so gullible."  
  
"Well, you still didn't answer my question!"  
  
"So?" he said, nonchalantly.  
  
"Is dad dead too?"  
  
"Do you _care_?"  
  
"Well, he's my father, for goodness sakes!"  
  
"Look who's avoiding questions now."  
  
"YOU! I do care, okay? I cared enough to go to his funeral despite my situation; you know I had to sneak out of the hospital?"  
  
"No, how'd you do it?"  
  
"I drugged the nurse with the sleeping pills she gave me."  
  
"How'd you pull that off?"  
  
"Well, I put the powder in the water, and asked her to play a drinking game with me after I asked for another cup of water. I guess she was pretty dumb to have fallen for that; it was quite lame."  
  
"Ah, well it worked. Not bad Lily."  
  
"Yes, and now I'm here to demand what's going on!"  
  
"Hmm, to tell you, to tell you not. Okay, it's not like you'll be able to stop me anyway."  
  
"Stop you?"  
  
"Yes, I'm getting plastic surgery tomorrow."  
  
"What? Mike, what are you up to?"  
  
"Please, I prefer Nicholas, my new name."  
  
"Your NEW NAME? What kind of bullshit are you pulling?"  
  
"::sigh:: if you must know, _I_ killed dad, the poor bloke, good thing I put him out of his misery."  
  
"You? But, but why? I thought you took up a job under dad because he asked you to."  
  
"He did."  
  
"But he was gonna give you the company after he died anyway."  
  
"I know, so I thought, why not now?"  
  
"But what about school?"  
  
"Hah, school? I gave up that place ages ago, flunked out is what I did."  
  
"What? But you've always wanted to go there!"  
  
"Yup, I did, and then I changed my mind."  
  
"You didn't have to kill him! He never did anything to you."  
  
"He was the source of our pain and horrible youth. Anyway, I disagreed with his business techniques. He depended on luck. _I_ have skill; I have what it takes to make this company succeed, and I will depend on nothing but myself," he started to get roused up.  
  
"Still, he didn't deserve to be murdered."  
  
"He was responsible for the tough times we went through. He tried to buy his way out of everything. He, that bastard, deserved worse than the painless death I gave him. You disgust me Lily, I thought you understood, but apparently not; you're sticking up for him. HE was the source of all our problems. We practically had no father."  
  
"Well, he did send us checks."  
  
"So? That didn't make up for anything."  
  
"Still, it's better to be alone and rich, than alone and poor. We would have been worse off in an orphanage."  
  
"STOP TAKING HIS SIDE LILY; YOU KNOW THAT MAN WAS EVIL!" he pounded his fist onto the table.  
  
"You can't just make him the scapegoat! Killing him didn't make you feel better."  
  
"That's where you're wrong. I did feel good, I feel better than I ever have in my life."  
  
"You're not the brother who protected me before, who made me feel better when I didn't have friends, who played with me, who made me laugh, who was a caring and wonderful person. No, dad wasn't evil. You are! What made you like this? Dad didn't make you like this, you did it to yourself, telling yourself lies! You've lost it! For all I know, YOU'RE the one who killed mom!"  
  
"Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that. I loved her, with everything I had. You say something that insulting again, and next time you'll have more to worry about than a few broken bones. Remember Lily, you won't be able to stop me, so don't try. I'm dead, after all. Now, you know the way out? And by the way, if you drop by again, I'm canceling all the checks, and if you bother me after that, you'll be joining dear father."  
  
"That doesn't surprise me, threatening your family like that."  
  
"Do _not_ try me, Lily, now leave, before you force me to do something we'll both regret."  
  
She exited the building, furious about her stupid family. _Okay, so now I'm not even sure what happened to mom, and my brother murdered my father, and my family is so fucking screwed up I'm anticipating something incredibly horrible to happen to me, well, beyond getting raped and beaten from my brother's orders. There has to be something worse out there that life's gonna throw at me. Damn, my life sucks.  
_  
Back at the hotel, she wished she had the energy to kick and scream and destroy all the furniture, but she didn't so she watched television until there was nothing remotely interesting to watch.  
  
At 8:30 the following night, she returned to her apartment in Japan and immediately slept. Lily didn't wake up until 11:00 the next day, so she quickly showered and cooked herself a brunch. She received a call shortly after eating.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Whoa, you actually answered today."  
  
"Yeah, guess the phone didn't go through in San Francisco."  
  
"You want to get together for lunch or something?"  
  
"I actually just ate, so..."  
  
"Well, how about taking a walk in the park."  
  
"Uh, maybe another time."  
  
"Well, how are you recovering?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So, you want to do something later today?"  
  
"I don't think I'm up for it right now, you know, I don't have too much energy."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I understand."  
  
"Yeah, so how are you?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And Mokuba?"  
  
"He's good."  
  
"That's nice. So..."  
  
"Why are you avoiding me?"  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Right, you always turn down eating and taking a walk with me. What did I do?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just...nothing."  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"You should."  
  
"Well, after leaving with no explanation, while you're hurt, I find it difficult."  
  
"It shouldn't be. Nothing is wrong."  
  
"We should talk."  
  
"We _are_ talking."  
  
"No, in person. I'm coming over. Don't leave...Hello? Lily?"  
  
Lily opened the door to find Kaiba coming up the stairs. He had started to drive to her place after the call went through.  
  
"Now, if this isn't called avoiding me, then I don't know what is." 


	10. Nothing And Then Presents

I saw a deer in our backyard today.  
I got my permit yesterday.  
There's no more summerschool.  
I'M EXCITED! :D:D lots of wonderful news.

-----

"Look, I just...just...okay, fine. You win," she said and went back inside.  
  
"I'm not looking to win. You have so, SO much explaining to do."  
  
"No I don't."  
  
"Yes, you do. First of all, what were you doing on the street in the middle of the night? Then, why the hell did you decide to sneak out of the hospital to go to San Francisco? Third, why are you avoiding me? And why can't you just tell me what is going on?"  
  
"There is _nothing_ going on."  
  
"Yes, there is, I'm not stupid, Lily. You're acting different."  
  
"No, I am not. I'm fine, normal, better than ever."  
  
"I hardly believe that."  
  
"I know, and that's sad, because don't you trust what I say?"  
  
"I do, but it's hard to blindly accept something without any explanation. What happened the night you were attacked?"  
  
"I don't remember."  
  
"Just tell me."  
  
"I'm telling you, I don't remember."  
  
"Fine, why did you need to sneak out?"  
  
"I had business to handle. Family issues; I had to take care of them alone."  
  
"What sort of issues?"  
  
"The normal kind."  
  
"Just tell me."  
  
"It's not important."  
  
"Well, if it isn't important, why do you have to keep it a secret?"  
  
"I don't. You don't need to know."  
  
"I'm worried about you, you should tell me."  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"Stop with the nothing excuse."  
  
"I'm _telling_ you, there's nothing to be concerned about, okay?"  
  
"Yes there is, and I think I deserve to know."  
  
"You deserve? DESERVE? No, you don't, okay? I have the right to keep everything to myself, I don't need to say anything to you!"  
  
"See, there is something you're hiding. I'm here. Tell me what's wrong," Kaiba said, taking hold of her hand and sitting closer to her. She flinched and tensed up when he put his arm around her, "Are you scared I'm going to hurt you?"  
  
"No, no, it's nothing."  
  
"There you go again, nothing. For someone with nothing going on, you're sure saying nothing a lot. What happened to cause you to change so much?"  
  
Pushing him away, she replied, "I'm not different."  
  
"Yes, you are, you just acted if I was about to hit you."  
  
"No, I didn't."  
  
"Really?" He walked over to her and touched her shoulder to turn her around, and she reacted by shifting away from his touch, "See what I mean?"  
  
"It's just..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"No...just leave, please. Kaiba, just go."  
  
"Fine," he muttered. With that, he exited her apartment, slamming the door on his way out.  
  
_This is the best way, not to let him know...it's no time to break down now, Lily, you can handle this. Okay, breathe in, breathe out, everything is fine...He doesn't need to know...Just get over it. It's okay, things are fine. I just have to cover things up better...  
_  
That night she cried herself to sleep, something she hadn't done since she was eleven, when she realized that she couldn't wallow herself in the past. She had to accept what life threw at her and would prove better than the troubles she faced.  
  
Because it was break, the next day, Lily wasted her time, watching TV and playing games. When she was tired of doing that, she took a nap. When she had more energy, she shopped her way through her problem.  
  
_What better way to show him that I'm fine than to give them Christmas presents?_  
  
After many days of careful consideration, much time investigating shops, as well as frustration, she found the perfect gifts for the Kaiba brothers and for Yugi, since she felt she owed him something after he picked her up off the street to bring her to the hospital.  
  
She had three weeks until Christmas (It's weird that its so much time into break, but I need her to heal first, so I'm stretching things a bit.) and she spent five days deliberating on what to write in their cards.  
  
_Dear Mokuba Kaiba,  
You don't know how hard it is to shop for someone who can buy anything he wants, so I decided to give you a dictionary. I figured, you know, that you might just need it for school, and it doesn't hurt to expand your vocabulary. It can be quite a handy tool. I'm just kidding, but if you opened your present before you read this then you would have known. But, I did get you a book; a cooking book. I know, you're too young to take on the kitchen, but one day, you'll be sick of eating out all the time, and you'll find this book. Then you'll be able to show off with these simple recipes and this is way in the future, but when you get married your wife will be pleased to know you cook. Now I'm just scaring you, huh? Well, I did get you something to enjoy right now. It's a toy; actually, it's really old- school and it's not even high tech whatsoever. You use your hand to play with it, but it's not one of those things you can play for hours, unless you're just obsessed with it. Well, I guess I should just tell you now, it's a yo-yo! I actually can do a few tricks with it; really simple ones, but it's nothing compared with the pros. Well, I hope you enjoy it, otherwise, just put it away, and tell your friends you got an antique for Christmas. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!  
_ Love,  
Lily

She finished and sealed the envelope and decided to take a nap. The next day she started to write Yugi's.  
  
_Dear Yugi Moto,  
I want to thank you for helping me out and bringing me to the hospital, and I appreciate you keeping what happened to me quiet. Since you value friendship so much, I thought I'd give you $100 gift certificate (11 000 yen) to the restaurant Casita in downtown, (This restaurant actually exists in Japan.) so that you could treat your friends to dinner or something, even though to me, your tastes in friends are a bit questionable. Anyway, it seems like that would be the best place for a friend get-together, and so I hope you guys enjoy that. Have an incredible holiday break.  
Yours truly,  
Lily   
__p.s. When are you gonna ask Tea out already? I can totally tell you're crushing big time, after noticing the way you guys act for a few months now. Better yet, use this to take her out! Take my advice, or you'll regret it. This is your excuse, say, hey Tea, I have this gift certificate, so how would you like to join me this Friday for dinner? And then, she'll say, of course Yugi, and then you'll say, all right, pick you up at six? And then voila, you've done it! Well, I've done all the dirty work, so go. There's nothing to lose.  
_  
She finished it feeling smug about playing matchmaker. Her grin faded, though when she looked at Kaiba's card. She had no idea what to write, and wasn't even so sure about giving him her, ahem, "virginity". Her reasoning was that it would prove that she still wanted to be with him, and that she wasn't avoiding him. It would distract him from his suspicion and cover up anything if she became pregnant or something. After all, she couldn't say that her baby was his if she didn't even sleep with him. Plus, she would show that she was recovered from the attack. She had thought about it so much and concluded that it was the best way. It wasn't what she planned, but it would have to do. She planned on giving the card the next morning after they, well, you know.  
  
_Dear Seto Kaiba,  
I know you're angry with me for being so inward lately. It's just that I'm still working on accepting the fact that I was attacked. I'm not ready to put things out in the open yet. I know it must be hard for you because I haven't said much, and I'm sorry that I'm not ready, but the time will come on its own.  
_  
She paused, thinking of what to say. Unable to conjure up any words, she exercised a bit, helping her arm to heal. She decided that she should go to the doctor's office and see how her condition was, although she wasn't too excited to hear what he would say about sneaking out.  
  
The doctor gave her a short lecture, but was pleased to see that she was recovering rapidly. She set up another appointment for five days later. Lily returned to her home and stared for a moment at the incomplete letter.  
  
_Other than that, I'm doing very well. I'm enjoying break immensely, and the free time and relaxation is wonderful. I don't feel much pain anymore, and I'm sure I'll fully recover in a few weeks._  
  
She stopped again as she thought about her brother. Unable to focus afterwards, she looked to see what time it was: 8:27. After a small yawn escaped from her mouth, she decided to call it a night.  
  
A week and a half passed and she hadn't been able to continue the message on the card. Although Lily delivered her gift to Yugi, she didn't talk to Kaiba about their situation yet. Seems like he's learned to be more stubborn since the first time they weren't communicating. Christmas Eve was slowly approaching, and it wasn't until two days before when she finished the card.  
  
_Well, it's been a few weeks, and to tell you the truth, I couldn't think of what to say to you. We haven't communicated much, and I'm sorry for that. If all goes well, you'll read this Christmas morning and things will be better. Best Wishes for the holidays!  
Love, wth all my heart,  
Lily_

She sealed the envelope with a sigh and picked up her phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Seto?"  
  
"Yes, that's me."  
  
"Uh, well, I was wondering..." she trailed off.  
  
"You were wondering..."  
  
"Well, Christmas is soon, and I was thinking maybe we should get together?"  
  
"Mokuba is expecting me to spend the day with him," he said coldly.  
  
"Oh, well, I was hoping we could be alone..."  
  
"Well, I'll have to think about it."  
  
"All right, well, you know where to find me," she said with false cheer and hung up.  
  
"Who was that big brother?"  
  
"Lily."  
  
"Is she okay?"  
  
"Yeah, perfectly fine."  
  
"Is she coming over for Christmas?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you going to her apartment?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you two even going to spend time together?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Maybe? What's wrong? During school you never got home until late."  
  
"What is your point Mokuba?"  
  
"My point is, that when two people spend so much time together, it's strange for them not to celebrate holidays together."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Fine, but just to let you know, I'll let you slide on spending Christmas day with me, just as long as you go see Lily."

-----

okay, i don't like this chapter that much, but that's okay! :D ahem, so, review, but be nice.


	11. Being Sorry Is Overrated

This is a good quote, and it has to do with Lily's desire for solitude.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone.... If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble. (CEV)  
  
-----  
  
Lily spent a lot of time forcing herself not to cry. _It's over...he doesn't want to be with me just because I won't tell him. I messed things up again. Always, I just have to screw something good up...  
_  
On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, a knock at her door surprised Lily. She smiled when she saw him, "Come in."  
  
He stood near the couch, rigid and emotionless, quite the opposite of the way he tried to squeeze the information out of her last time he visited. Several weeks out of contact with Lily put him back into the stern CEO.  
  
"I'm glad you came," she said, walking over to him. Lily gave him a hug, one that took a few moments for him to return, "You wanna sit?"  
  
He took a seat on the couch.  
  
"So, uh, you hungry?"  
  
"No."  
  
::silence::  
  
"Look—" they both started.  
  
"Go ahead, Lily."  
  
"No, it's okay. You start."  
  
"Okay, I'll be blunt. Why did you want me here? You haven't talked to me in how many weeks and won't bother to tell me what in the world is going on with your life, and out of the blue you call me."  
  
"Well, I...I miss you. And, I thought, maybe Christmas, you know, it's a nice holiday. You spend it with other people, and I was all alone, and well, I just..."  
  
"Don't you have family?"  
  
"Yes, well, but we're in a complicated situation right now."  
  
"And I'm guessing you won't tell me."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"What a shock."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry if I don't think it's time for me to tell you these things, okay?" she raised her voice.  
  
"You could at least _try_. It's not like I haven't gone through anything before."  
  
"I just don't think that—"  
  
"Well you know what? I just don't think that this is going to work out. Before, I was ready to listen to anything you had to say, totally ready to support you, but you just pushed me away. How do you think that made me feel? You've changed, Lily, if you won't tell me what's going on, I can't help you. Maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore. If you're just going to keep to yourself, then this isn't going to work. I've tried, Lily. You don't know how much I've sacrificed for you, and this is how you treat me? I do deserve to know," he calmly said and rose from the couch.  
  
After sighing, she said, "Okay, do you really think we should break up? I don't want to. This isn't a big deal, okay? Why do you insist on blowing it out of proportions?"  
  
"I've _tried_ to make this work, which is more than what you can say."  
  
"Okay, tell me after I kiss you, whether you truly never want to see me again. I can leave, you know," she replied. Lily stood up and looked him in the eye before moving in. She kissed him with more intensity than ever and forced her tongue down his mouth. Breaking away, she said, "I don't want to go, but it's your choice."  
  
Kaiba, who hadn't kissed her for almost a month now, remembered how great it felt when he did. His heart beat faster and it was just an emotional overflow. In their time apart he had pushed back all the feelings from before, managed to force his mind over his hormones. He was back in control. The thrill of her kiss just threw everything he worked on the past few weeks out the window.  
  
"I...I..." he stammered.  
  
"I know I want you, and I'm pretty sure that you feel the same way, but you're just going to have to trust me," she said, leaning in to kiss him again. This time, he returned it. She pushed him towards her bedroom and started to undo his clothing, but as his shirt was half off, he broke away.  
  
"I can't do this. This, this isn't..." he turned back around to face a shirtless Lily.  
  
She replied, "It's okay. We both want this..." and led him towards the bed.  
  
Kaiba's heart beat faster and faster as her hands roamed his body. The pleasure from her touch scared him.  
  
_We're actually going to do this...and I've wanted to ever since the incident in the shower, but didn't she say...  
_  
His train of thought was lost as he noticed her exposed body.  
  
_Control yourself...she couldn't have changed her mind about this...why are we doing this? Is this what she really wants? Has everything that we've discussed before been dismissed?  
_  
"I...we...shouldn't do this," Kaiba stated, looking her in the eye.  
  
"It's what you want, isn't it?" Lily replied and moved towards undoing his pants.  
  
"Well, no, I mean, yes, but I thought you said—"  
  
"Forget about what I said earlier."  
  
"But, but what about...your condition?" he blurted out, grasping her wrists to stop her.  
  
"Don't you think that I'm the one who would know if I were ready for it or not?" she leaned towards him and tried to continue their kiss.  
  
"Lily, just, _stop_ for a moment. We have to talk about this."  
  
"You don't want me anymore. That's it," she couldn't bring herself to make eye contact and started re-buttoning her shirt after she picked it up from the ground, "Fine, if that's the way, then please, leave..."  
  
"No, that's not it, Don't you think it's a bit sudden? I mean, we haven't talked in such a long time, and all of a sudden you want to do this?"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, I think it's a bit strange."  
  
"It was for Christmas," she mumbled.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I _said_, IT WAS FOR CHRISTMAS. Your present."  
  
"But," he said, recovering from shock, "why?"  
  
"We hadn't talked, but doesn't mean that I didn't think about you. It would prove that I still wanted this relationship to work."  
  
"Prove? You don't need to prove anything to me. If you just said something, I would have believed you."  
  
"Well, how was I supposed to know? You wouldn't believe anything I said before."  
  
"No, I didn't believe what I knew you were lying about. You couldn't possibly have been fine over such a traumatic attack. It's been so long, and you're still recovering physically. Emotionally, it's even harder, and you won't tell me what's going on with you."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, I can't just act like nothing happened. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it would be insensitive of me." A smile formed on her face but it left as quick as it appeared, "So, tell me."  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're not helping yourself by keeping it in."  
  
"I am _fine_."  
  
"Here we go again."  
  
"_You_ brought it up."  
  
"And you won't admit anything."  
  
"So?"  
  
"STOP BEING EVASIVE, LILY."  
  
"I am NOT."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"No, I'm not, because there is _nothing_ to evade."  
  
"Just tell me damn it! I deserve to know!"  
  
"Deserve? Hah, he deserves to know. You hear that Steven?" she said to her big stuffed animal.  
  
"Who are you talking to?"  
  
She grabbed her bear stuffed animal and hugged it, "Steven. He listens to everything."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's the best listener."  
  
"Are you going insane?"  
  
"Are _you_?"  
  
"Whatever you're trying to do to cope isn't working, can't you see that?"  
  
"I'm FINE!!!"  
  
"No, you're not. Tell me, I deserve to know."  
  
"You think you deserve to know?"  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"Okay, fine, you deserve to know."  
  
"That was the most logical thing you said all day."  
  
"Oh, _shut up_."  
  
"So. Tell me."  
  
"No."  
  
"You even said that I deserve to know! So spill it."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"_Because_, for the millionth time, ALREADY, I deserve to know, damn it!"  
  
"Go away!"  
  
"No! You need help. I'm giving it to you."  
  
"Stop being mean!"  
  
"I am _trying_ to help you."  
  
"Well STOP!"  
  
"Fine. Fine...I give up. Even though you said, I deserve to know, you still won't tell me, so I conclude that you're going crazy."  
  
"You know what? You're crazy! I'm not crazy, I'm MAD! MAD AT YOU."  
  
"You're not mad at me, you're in denial."  
  
"Fine. You want to know? Are you sure you want to know about my stupid idiotic family? Fine. But first, let me tell you, that I deserve to know a lot of things too. Like why did I have to get beaten and raped the night I found out that my father and brother died, and then to find out that my brother was the one who turned against me when I struggled to go to their funeral? Turns out he's not dead, but he murdered my father. Don't you think I deserve to know what happened to my mother? Don't you think I deserve to know why I have a broken arm and rib and bruises everywhere? Don't you think I deserve to know why I have such a dysfunctional family? So stop blowing this whole thing up and using this as an excuse to leave me. Just go, do it like a man and say it to my face. Tell me that you don't want to ever see me again and that I'm horrible, ugly, fat, and STUPID! Okay? Do it. Go on! Who cares, anyway, no one's able to help me now. Go on and forget about me; there's nothing left for me here anyway," she screamed bitterly, her face red and her eyes watery.  
  
He paused to think and soak everything in before saying, "I...I had no idea. I don't want to break it off...You should have told me before; I would have tried to help. You're not alone in fighting the injustices of the world. Why didn't you just tell me earlier?"  
  
"Because...I don't need your or anyone else's pity. Telling you wouldn't change what happened, so why should I have? I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me; it doesn't make any difference if you say, 'I'm sorry you went through that' because I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for everything bad that happens in this world; hell, I'm sorry for the world. I'm sorry for my pathetic existence, but being sorry doesn't do anything. Saying that is pointless. It doesn't help; it's overused, and it's lost its meaning, and..." She yelled, shaking and crying, angry and sad at the same time.  
  
"It's okay, everything will be okay..." he said, bringing her into an embrace to calm her down.  
  
"No, it won't. I might be pregnant and I won't even know the father. But it won't make a difference since he wouldn't care anyway. I can't do anything about the fact that my brother has gone wacko. You think I'm crazy. I don't have anyone anymore..."  
  
"I don't know what I can do, but I'm willing to try." (Him saying 'I'm here' would be too predictable.)  
  
"Yes, I know. You just put up with my nonsense and yelling and bitterness, but I'm not sure if having only you is going to be enough..."  
  
"We'll get through."  
  
"I'm sorry I tried to use you tonight. I know that was selfish, but then I could have someone obligated to be the father, and I, I didn't mean..."  
  
"What do you mean use me?"  
  
"Well, it's too soon to tell if I'm pregnant, I think, so then, I figured, if you and me, well, then if I _was_, then I'd have someone. But, I really didn't mean to..."  
  
"I thought you said it doesn't matter if you meant something or if you're sorry," he said playfully.  
  
"Well...I actually _meant_ it. And, it's true. I didn't mean to, but it almost did happen. I...well, I regret what I tried to do."  
  
"The important thing is that it didn't."  
  
The two sat in silence.

-----

okay, i liked writing this chapter. i think, actually, that i write arguments the best...is that a good thing? anyway, review, cuz i wanna know what you think.


	12. Time For ChitChat

Life minus love equals zero. (Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life)

-----  
  
"So, what are you going to do?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Well, your brother. He didn't seem like one to do something like that."  
  
"So? Did you think I was crazy when you first met me?"  
  
"Yeah, for having the guts to write on me."  
  
"Well, I had nothing to lose."  
  
"I guess."  
  
"I miss those days."  
  
"You mean your childhood?"  
  
"Oh, hell no. I meant...well, I don't know."  
  
"Remember that time we went to the beach?"  
  
"And that crab bit you and your leg became all swollen?"  
  
"Yeah, but I meant that night."  
  
"You mean when we were watching the sunset and it was all cozy and romantic, and you said that you liked me?"  
  
"And then you said, 'I think I've figured that out.' And laughed at me?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Well, what I was trying to say, but was too nervous, was that I, think...I love you."  
  
"Really, so you're not nervous now?"  
  
"Well, I think I've let out my emotions enough to feel that."  
  
"But love is an emotion."  
  
"Yes, yes it is."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Are you going to say something else?"  
  
"Well, you did call me crazy."  
  
"Look, I'm sorry—"  
  
"I'm kidding. No more secrets from now on."  
  
She kissed him.  
  
"Love ya too."  
  
::silence::  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're not welcome."  
  
She raised her eyebrow and gave him a what-the-hell-are-you-saying-look.  
  
"Lightening the mood," he said with a smirk and kissed her forehead, "Now, since all that emotional baggage has been sorted out, what about dinner?"  
  
"Uhm...okay."  
  
"So, I think we should go to that restaurant you like so much, you know, to celebrate the end of our silence period."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And there's always next year..."  
  
"SETO KAIBA! I won't have any of that kind of talk, especially during dinner. Is that clear?" she said, returning to her old self.  
  
"What? I was referring to, uh, _nothing_, actually."  
  
"Okay, okay. Let's go."  
  
::ring ring::  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey big brother, how are things going?"  
  
"Good."  
  
"Are you going to come home soon?"  
  
"Well, I was planning to go out with Lily—"  
  
Lily interrupted him and said, "Oh, go ahead, we'll do stuff tomorrow, that should give you two some time together, oh and take this too; it's for Mokuba."  
  
"Oh...well, okay, I guess."  
  
She walked with him back to his car and she picked up her mail after saying goodbye. Back inside, she turned on the TV and flipped through her mail.  
  
::SIGH::  
  
_Well, that certainly didn't turn out the way I planned...But at least we're talking again...stupid brother...if you want to screw yourself over, keep me out of it...  
_  
She then came across a postcard with a nice looking couple and 'Merry Christmas.' As she looked to see who it was from, she made a face.  
  
_Lily, Just because I told you to keep out of my affairs, doesn't mean that I hate you or don't want to have anything to do with you. Anyway, here's my new look, not bad, huh. Best wishes for the holidays.  
Mike and Jenny  
_  
She rolled her eyes and tossed it into the trash. The next envelope was from R&F Law Firm, making her check if it was really for her. To her surprise, it was, so she opened it. After reading it, she thought about how funny the situation was.  
  
_Well, well, well, seems like you've run into a bit of trouble Mike. That's so sad, you being tried for the murder of yourself. Trying to be nice now? Now that you're in trouble? Hah, yeah right I'm gonna keep silent about anything, cuz I'm so gonna make sure that you get what you deserve. I don't care if I lie. You will be condemned to prison, I'll see to that. All the bad things you've done are catching up to you. Well, Mr. Fredrickson, looks like I'll be seeing you soon.  
_  
The next day Lily woke up in a good mood, that is, until she remembered her brother. Anger and vengeance filled her mind, not to mention a pesky little voice, too.  
  
_Things were fine until you came along and screwed it up. At least he's still sending checks. SHUT UP. SHUT UP SHUT UP! Money doesn't matter. You said that it's better to be alone and rich than alone and poor. SO? GO AWAY! You know, he's still your brother, despite what he's done. So? HE committed MURDER, OKAY? He should be locked up for that. Can't you forgive? He IS your brother. FORGIVE HIM FOR THAT CRIME?! YOU'RE INSANE! It's impossible. Nothing is impossible.  
_  
She hit her head with her fists, trying to make the voices go away.  
  
"STOP TORTURING ME!! DON'T YOU THINK I'VE GONE THROUGH ENOUGH?! GO AWAY!!!" she yelled at no one.  
  
Her phone went off.  
  
"What?" she sneered.  
  
"Calm down, Lily, it's me."  
  
She inhaled deeply, "Okay..."  
  
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"  
  
"Yes. Yes I am. I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, you can trust me this time."  
  
"All right..."  
  
"So what'd you want to talk about?"  
  
"Plans for today."  
  
"What do you want to do?"  
  
"Whatever you want."  
  
"Well, I need to restock some ice-cream, and I haven't gone out to eat in some time...and a movie would be nice, but they're probably closed, so you have any good movies at home?"  
  
"Er, no."  
  
"Fine, I have some DVDs."  
  
"I'll come by at three, okay?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
It seemed like days before he came, so she watched TV, listened to music, and stared into space, well, also talked to Steven.  
  
"Well, Steven, I don't think I'm going to be talking to you as much."  
  
It just sat there.  
  
"Don't give me that look. You're still my favorite, but don't tell the others," she whispered.  
  
-----

::ding-dong::  
  
She opened the door and greeted Kaiba, "Hey, let's go."  
  
The two went to the ice-cream shop where Kaiba first declared that he was her boyfriend.  
  
"I will have the...peach."  
  
"I'll have vanilla."  
  
"Wow, actually eating it today?"  
  
"I'm feeding it to the birds."  
  
"What birds?"  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
"O-kay," she murmured as he paid for it.  
  
"Hey, you finished before me!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"When did you start eating ice-cream?"  
  
"Since today."  
  
"Huh. Feels like I know you just as little the first time we went here."  
  
"Well, I'm mysterious."  
  
"Quite."  
  
"Anyway, what did you want to do now?"  
  
"Dunno."  
  
"I know. Amusement park."  
  
"They're not open, silly."  
  
"Well, when you own them..."  
  
"::gasp:: really? Let's go!"  
  
Since there weren't any other people there, they went on all the rides in a very short amount of time. In the exhilaration of the rides, she forgot all about her problems. The two stayed there for a few hours until it became dark, when they decided to go get some dinner.  
  
-----  
  
"Please follow me to your table..." the waiter led them.  
  
"Great...excuse me, do you have another table?"  
  
"What's wrong with this one?" she smirked.  
  
"Excuse me, waiter, do you have another table?"  
  
"I'm sorry, the only one left is reserved," he said and left.  
  
"Do you have a problem sitting next to us?" Tea said.  
  
Ignoring her, Lily spoke to Yugi, "Ah, what a _surprise_ to see you here. Don't mind us and enjoy your date."  
  
Tea, annoyed by her presence, said, "And what are you grinning so madly about?"  
  
"Well, that's a secret. And if you were me, you'd be acting this way too." She turned her attention back to Kaiba and left Tea perplexed and Yugi nervously laughing.  
  
"Hello, I am Sam, your waiter for tonight. May I interest you in the seafood special? It has lobster—"  
  
"Sounds good to me," Lily interrupted.  
  
"Me too," Kaiba stated.  
  
Once the waiter left, Lily blurted, "So, how long have you been dating?" although she already knew the answer.  
  
"Not too elite and high class to be talking to us?" Tea snapped.  
  
"No response, no matter how clever, insulting, whatever can wipe this smile off my face; I'm in just too good of a mood from all this, so just answer the question."  
  
"Anyway, we're not _dating_, just having a friendly dinner."  
  
"Well, well. Looks like you didn't hurt me with that comment, but someone else," she looked over to Yugi, "Make sure you play nice, or you'd be stuck with a fat check."  
  
"So tell me, Yugi, how'd you finally ask Gardner out?" Kaiba entered the conversation.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Go on..." _I love putting people on the spot._  
  
"Look Kaiba, he just asked me, and I said yes, okay? What's your point anyway?" Tea said.  
  
"We're just having a bit of fun," she said smugly, "Excuse me, I have to freshen up." She walked to the bathroom, and when she got there, she noticed that her underpants had a splotch of red. Muttering curses at the annoyance, she struggled to temporarily stop the leak with toilet paper and rushed out back to the tables.  
  
"Tea, I need to talk to you, er...privately."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Fine. I'll say it here. I need some things for my monthly—"  
  
"Oh, sorry. Let's go."  
  
A few minutes later, the two returned to the tables.  
  
"Everything all right?" Yugi questioned.  
  
"Yes. Thanks for asking."  
  
The four continued to eat, in silence.  
  
All of a sudden Lily gasped and cried, "YES!!"  
  
Everyone turned to her and looked at her funny.  
  
"Hehe...don't mind me."  
  
She whispered to Kaiba, "Guess what?"  
  
"Why are we whispering?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Okay, what?"  
  
"GUESS!"  
  
"I don't know, you want desert now?"  
  
"I just had an epiphany."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"I'm not pregnant."  
  
Kaiba wrinkled his eyebrows at her seemingly random comment, "What?"  
  
"I just got my period, and—"  
  
"Okay, that's enough information."  
  
"Isn't that great?"  
  
"Yes. That's wonderful news."  
  
"I'm excited! I'm not pregnant!" Her grin grew even wider.  
  
"Can we stop whispering now?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," she returned to her normal voice, "so, ready for dessert?"  
  
Tea and Yugi heard the whole conversation, despite the whispering.  
  
"You mean you and Kaiba already..." she whispered, wide eyed.  
  
"Hmmm?" Lily responded in her normal voice.  
  
"Babies."  
  
"What are you whispering about?"  
  
"I couldn't help but hear your conversation."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So you two..."  
  
"Uh...yeah," she said, faking confidence, "Surprised?"  
  
"Well...yes," Tea faltered as the waiter came.  
  
"Would you like anything for dessert? We have an incredible strawberry cheesecake. If not, we also have—"  
  
"I'll have that," Lily cut off the waiter again.  
  
"Very well, and for you sir?" he forced out.  
  
"::chuckling:: none for me, thanks."  
  
"All right," he said with forced politeness; "I bet they're lousy tippers too," he mumbled as he left.

-----

hehe...good news, not babies, those three little words...tea and yugi...wow, lots of conversation this time....well review :D:D


	13. Court, And Courting

When temptation calls you on the phone, don't argue with it, just hang up. (Rick Warren)  
  
-----  
  
Lily and Kaiba walked up the stairs to her apartment.  
  
"Well, I suppose it's a bit too late for the movie now."  
  
"Nine o' clock is not late."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, come on in. That was fun, huh."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I'm so glad I'm not pregnant!"  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Oh, I have some other news, too."  
  
"Really."  
  
"I'm gonna have to go testify in court."  
  
"Huh."  
  
"Yeah, my brother is getting charged for the murder of himself and dad. Pretty ironic, huh."  
  
"How does that work?"  
  
"Oh yeah, he got plastic surgery. His face is all different, fingerprints, everything."  
  
"Huh."  
  
"I'm not sure when, though. I might have to miss school."  
  
"Ah. Wait, so you're against him?"  
  
"Well, he _is_ guilty."  
  
"True."  
  
The two fell asleep on the couch halfway into watching the LOTR trilogy.  
  
The next morning:  
  
"Hey sleepyhead!" Lily yelled as she found Kaiba snoring next to her when she woke up.  
  
He mumbled incoherent noises. ::thump:: Lily removed herself as his pillow and made her way to the bathroom. Ten minutes later she came out in a bathrobe and a towel around her wet hair to find Kaiba still sleeping on the couch. He was compensating for all those sleepless work-nights he had before they made up.  
  
She climbed on top of him and whispered, as seductively as possible for whispering, in his ear, "I'm not wearing anything," and kissed him.  
  
He quickly opened his eyes, "Liar."  
  
"Disappointed?" she smirked and moved to get off of him, but couldn't, as his arms were around her, "not letting me go, hmmm?"  
  
Instead of responding, he flipped their bodies so that he was on top and slowly kissed her neck, making his way down, pushing off the covering of the robe. Pretty soon her upper body was exposed, and she was moaning in pleasure, until her phone went off.  
  
Lily reluctantly broke away, and Kaiba said, "You should probably get that..." and he entered the bathroom.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Is Seto there?"  
  
"Yeah, Mokuba, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You need to talk to him?"  
  
"No, but—"  
  
"It's okay, didn't interrupt anything," she kindly replied and opened the bathroom door to find a surprised, shirtless Kaiba, "It's your brother." She handed over the phone and blew him a kiss before leaving.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Oh hi, Seto, just wondering where you were."  
  
"Safe and sound at Lily's apartment. Doing well this morning?"  
  
"Yes, well, I'd better go."  
  
"See you later, then."  
  
Both were thinking about what would have happened if the phone hadn't stopped them when it did. Lily got dressed into a tight pair of jeans and t- shirt and thought to herself, _man, I'd have to buy new clothes if I were pregnant, too, and hugged her wardrobe, I'd miss you guys, plus, the fact that I'd be fat isn't so great either...  
_  
Her thoughts were stopped by the phone. _Not again.  
_  
"Hello?"  
  
"I am looking for Lily."  
  
"That's me."  
  
"I'm David Fredrickson, did you receive the letter?"  
  
Lily then became engrossed in conversation in which all her questions were answered.  
  
The trial would start in two weeks, and so she would just get excused by the counselor so that she could attend a funeral. She didn't really like the idea of explaining the whole thing, as bizarre as it was. The date was rapidly approaching, and she had several meetings with the lawyers.  
  
But that didn't mean she didn't have fun. In fact, she went to a New Year's party at the Hilton hotel, and it didn't matter who hosted it, because she was too drunk to have remembered. Both Kaiba and Lily were laughing hysterically and then staggering around aimlessly, under the influence of some very strong drinks. Well, you must be wondering, how in the world did the respectable, extremely knowledgeable Kaiba manage to get drunk? Well, Lily, who has alcohol-identification issues, found a very nice peachy- flavored cocktail which she found just absolutely stunning, and coerced, I mean, persuaded Kaiba to drink some. He declined at first, but finding a woman in a skirt sitting in his lap, stroking his chest, and using her female mind-controlling powers to seduce him, he gave in. Before long, they were drunk, and yet they managed to find themselves a room to spend the night, which, if you think about it, is better than an accident.  
  
Well, anyway, the next morning, well actually afternoon, Lily found herself using Kaiba's shirt as an extra blanket, and he was, well, not wearing anything at all. (Teehee...)  
  
There would have been a lot more yelling and talking, for that matter, if it weren't for the splitting headaches of the hangover. In fact, they didn't talk about what happened until the day before school started.  
  
"About New Year's..." Kaiba started.  
  
"I couldn't remember anything that happened that night, did you?"  
  
"No, and if something did happen, or if I violated you in anyway, I apologize."  
  
"It's okay. I'm not sure if anything did happen, but I did wake up with your pants next to me, which means, they had to come off of you first. And actually, now that I think about it more, we probably did have—"  
  
"But we don't know."  
  
"Yeah, but I mean, two plus two is four, we can deduce that..."  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Anyway, we can't help what happened."  
  
"Yes, and uh...yeah."  
  
Well, everyone was so excited to go back to school, I mean, who wouldn't be? It's always fun to return to lectures in class and tests, and homework, and projects, reports, especially after days of free time.  
  
-----  
  
"After I attended the funeral of my father and brother, I visited my father's company to see who would assume his position."  
  
"And there you met Mr. Lee."  
  
"Yes, I was in his office, and he knew that I was daughter of the ex-CEO, and he threatened me. He said that if I didn't stay out of his way, I would suffer the same fate that my brother and father did. From that, I was sure that they didn't commit suicide. Before, I knew they weren't suicidal, and after that, I'm sure they didn't."  
  
"That's all."  
  
The defense lawyer stood up and said, "How did you get into his office?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"How did you get in? Did you make an appointment? I mean, he is the president, I expect you can't just walk in and talk to him, correct?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Is it true that you lied about having an appointment?"  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
"Did you get expelled for habitually lying at school, forcing you to move to Japan?"  
  
"No, I—"  
  
"This document from your middle school says why you were expelled, would you like me to read it?"  
  
"Fine, so I used to lie, what does it matter?"  
  
"How do we know that you're not lying now?"  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Yes, but we cannot trust your word."  
  
"Well, for those things, I had a motive to lie, what motive do I have to lie now?"  
  
"You are angry that you're not the one taking over the company."  
  
"What? That's ridiculous."  
  
"Is it not true that your boyfriend is Mr. Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp?"  
  
"Yes, so?"  
  
"It obviously reflects that you seek things in powerful positions, and you obviously were angry that you weren't chosen—"  
  
"First of all, I have SCHOOL to deal with. Second of all, I was interested in Kaiba way before I even found out that he owned his company. Third of all, my love life is NONE of your BUSINESS!"  
  
"Is it correct that if my client, Nicholas, is out of the picture, that you would get the company?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't know? Are you lying again?"  
  
"OBJECTION!"  
  
"Withdrawn. That's all, your honor," he said and went back to his seat.  
  
Okay, let's just skip to the closing arguments, shall we?  
  
Ladies and Gentlemen, the prosecution has no case. Even the doctors say that it was suicide!! They have brought the victim's sister as testimony, but there is no evidence, I repeat, there is no evidence! He just happened to be the one who inherited the company, and for that he is accused of murder? The prosecution has brought the sister to conjure up a story because they have no proof that Nicholas killed two of her male family members. He had no reason to put them out of the picture; you heard from him that he was well off and just wanted to settle down with a family, not to take over the huge responsibility of a company. He was shocked to find out that he was to take over, and even thought about rescinding the offer! But out of respect for the two deceased family members, he accepted. So tell me ladies and gentlemen, do you see any reason whatsoever why my client would have murdered? No. Do you see any proof that he did it? No. There are all these claims, but there is no evidence! It is up to you, to make sure that this innocent man does not spend a lifetime in jail, for something he didn't even do! Thank you.  
  
The defense says that there is no evidence. Lily is our evidence. She has no motive to lie; if he wasn't guilty, why would she say he was? She may have had a questionable past, but because of her loss, she wants justice to be done, not any random person to blame for the crime. Through her testimony, we know that they didn't commit suicide. She was their family; she would know them the best out of all of us, and if she says that they weren't suicidal, then they weren't! She said herself that he threatened her; if he wasn't guilty, why would he have done so? He would have been caring and sympathetic on their first meeting after the funeral. The only thing that can explain his actions is that he committed the murder. That's all.  
  
Three hours later...  
  
"Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?"  
  
"We have your honor."  
  
"What say you?"  
  
"We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty."  
  
"The defendant is free to go."  
  
Lily sat in her chair, soaking in the fact that her brother was going off scot-free.

-----

I'm not sure if that lawyer stuff was accurate...but that's okay. :D hehe...and uh...review!!


	14. Don't Take Me Away

If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody. Galatians 6:3 (NLT)  
  
-----  
  
Lily returned to Japan, disappointed that her brother was a free man. She thought of all the possibilities if she had done things differently. Would people have believed her if she had told them the truth? She highly doubted they would, but she questioned whether she did things right. In retrospect, everything done could have been better or improved upon, but once things happen, they're set, done.  
  
She told Kaiba all about what happened, and they were taking an evening stroll in downtown to get her mind off of it. Arm in arm, they watched the sunset and enjoyed the cool breeze.  
  
Suddenly a man grabbed her and put a gun to her head, "Lily," he breathed and dragged her into the alley, "Remember this place?"  
  
"Who the hell are you?" she said, trying to get free, but his arm wouldn't budge.  
  
"Is that how you greet your brother?"  
  
"You sick bastard. You were here that night?"  
  
"I oversaw the events, yes."  
  
"You disgust me."  
  
"No, you're the one who lied and ruined me!"  
  
"You weren't even _convicted_!"  
  
"SO? You RUINED ME! Bad publicity, okay?"  
  
"You can't get fired."  
  
"They got rid of me."  
  
"Like mutiny?"  
  
"Yes, okay? And now I have nothing. NOTHING!" he turned his attention to Kaiba, who couldn't do much but watch the situation and hope for the best. He had called in the police, but obviously, they hadn't arrived. "Now, give me control of your company, and I'll give you Lily."  
  
Kaiba laughed at the craziness of his proposal.  
  
_You're laughing, and I have a gun at my temple. Thank you, so much, for your help._  
  
"That's ridiculous. You seriously expect me to hand you my company, when the police are on its way?"  
  
"Fine," he muttered, "Have it your way," and he dragged Lily into a car, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and drove off before Kaiba could stop them. The police arrived ten minutes later.  
  
In the car...  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
"I have nothing anymore. And it's your fault. Therefore, I'm dragging you down with me."  
  
"That's very nice of you."  
  
"Keep up the sarcasm and I'll kill you," he pointed the gun at her.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"You know what else happened? My wife left me for a richer man!"  
  
"So? You didn't even tell me you had a wife!"  
  
"I didn't have to; anyway, you screwed everything up."  
  
"Well, _maybe_, you should have planned your murder better!"  
  
"Well, maybe, you should have not LIED!"  
  
"You're free anyway! What I did doesn't affect you."  
  
"Yes it did! Now shut up, before I put a bullet in your head."  
  
"Thanks bro. Anyway, you do realize that Kaiba probably would have lent you money to live a decent lifestyle, since you are my brother, if you just asked."  
  
"I don't want CHARITY! And shut up." He cocked the gun.  
  
Lily just rolled her eyes at the stupidity of the whole situation, but she was well aware of the danger. Her brother had the capacity to kill his own family, proof being their father. Thirty minutes later, the two arrived at the airport.  
  
"Why are we at the airport?"  
  
"We're moving to Canada."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, I appreciate the early notice, you know, so that I could pack, say goodbye to friends—"  
  
"Too bad."  
  
"Considering we don't have any money, and I had some at the apartment...did you even plan this?"  
  
He ignored her question and paid for two one-way tickets to Vancouver, Canada.  
  
"So that would be _my_ money...I'll take the silence as a yes."  
  
Meanwhile, Kaiba searched possible leads to where Lily could be. When she didn't attend school for a week or return his calls, he knew something was wrong. He visited every place she could have been, the first place obviously being her apartment. He found it trashed, with no sign of anyone living there. He tried running searches on airplane flights, but since they paid with cash, he had no way of tracing where they went. By the end of the school year, he gave up and accepted the fact that she was gone.  
  
-----  
  
"YOU'RE FIRED!"  
  
Lily had been told that for the third time that month.  
  
"Well, I didn't want to work here ANYWAY!" she yelled back and stormed out the door of Jim's Pet Supplies. She walked back to her little "shack," which was actually a highway overpass, a few blocks away. Taking a book out of her bag, she made herself comfortable, leaning against the cement wall. Her brother had dumped her on the street and took all the money for his own purposes. He figured she was as good as dead anyway.  
  
Lily moved from job to job; minimum wage labor was not her thing. Most didn't even want to hire her, based on her disheveled appearance, despite her attempts to clean up after sneaking into a fitness club.  
  
She managed to get another job a few weeks later, and was walking to her "home" when she felt incredibly sick. She leaned against the fence of the house she was passing by to compensate for the pain in her stomach. Her head decided at that moment to give way, and she became so lightheaded that she collapsed to the floor.  
  
"Dear, are you okay?" an elderly woman said as she looked up from her garden. When she didn't respond, she, apparently very fit and strong for her age, carried her into the house and set her down in a bed.  
  
A few minutes later, Lily blinked in confusion at the unfamiliarity yet comfort of her surroundings. The woman next to her greeted her, "Are you feeling better now? You collapsed right in my front yard! I'm Mrs. Lum, and who might you be?"  
  
"Lily," she quietly said and looked around the room, "Uh...thanks."  
  
"No problem, I understand what you're going through," she said warmly.  
  
"What...wait, what do you mean?"  
  
"Don't tell me you don't recognize the symptoms."  
  
"Of...what?"  
  
"I could tell by your slightly expanded stomach; I was cleaning you up."  
  
"Aww crap."  
  
"You do know the father right?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Then why aren't you thrilled? Bringing a child into the world is always a wonderful thing."  
  
"I don't know where he is, I don't have a place to stay, I can't keep my lousy job, and I'm condemning this kid before it's born. I'm a failure."  
  
"Don't worry about that, you will stay here, and I will take care of you. I'm not giving up, and neither should you."  
  
"That's too much trouble for you. I don't have anything; I'd be too much of a burden," Lily said as she was getting out of the bed.  
  
"You stay put and rest. I know you need the help, so say goodbye to that pride of yours and accept my help. Now, I expect you're a bit hungry?"  
  
Lily nodded, and Mrs. Lum smiled.  
  
-----  
  
"Gran! I'm home. Hello?" a tall man said upon entering the house, "I have the multigrain bread you like so much. Hello?" He walked throughout the house, inspecting each of the rooms, and came across the guest room that she was staying in. "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I'm Steven."  
  
"Lily." She inspected his features, noticing that he was around 20, and either a wealthy business man or a salesman from the suit. His face looked a bit tired, but other than that, quite young. He was a bit skinny, and seemed like a nice person, based on his tone of voice.  
  
"Is there something on my face?" he commented on her staring.  
  
"Oh, sorry," she looked at her hands.  
  
"Do you know where my grandmother is?"  
  
"She stepped out to get some pudding."  
  
"She shouldn't be having sweets; it's bad—"  
  
"Oh, it's for me," she said, eyes fixated on her dirty fingernails.  
  
"Well, I'm sure there's a good reason to why you're here," he said with a polite grin, "I've got some work to do; if you need anything or something, okay?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You don't have to keep your head down; I'm equally a person as you are."  
  
She didn't move.  
  
He walked over to her and brought her face so that they could see eye to eye, "Now that's better," then he noticed the tears on her face.  
  
Out of embarrassment, she wiped them with her hand and turned away. Unsure of the appropriate way to act, he exited the room after saying, "I'm sorry I bothered you."  
  
_I should be the one who's sorry. You came in and acted as if I were an expected guest; if I saw someone looking as awful as I look I'd yell at him or her and kick 'em out. These people are so nice. I can't believe it.  
_  
Moments later, Mrs. Lum returned with pudding, along with crackers, fruit, ice-cream, and bread. She went to her grandson's office and was shocked by a lack of enthusiasm and cheer in his greeting.  
  
"Something wrong, hun?"  
  
He looked up from a disarray of papers, "I made her cry."  
  
"Who?" she took a seat on the sofa located to the right of his desk.  
  
"Uh...that girl, Lily."  
  
"No, she's just going through high estrogen levels."  
  
He raised one eyebrow.  
  
"She's pregnant, and she's not that thrilled about it."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"She'll be staying with us."  
  
"Okay," he said and returned to his work.  
  
-----  
  
Lily heard the door open and close.  
  
"Cooking? Just don't burn down the house. Where's Gran?"  
  
"Taking a stroll."  
  
"Hungry?" she asked as he opened and closed almost all the cabinets.  
  
"A bit."  
  
She took out two bowls and put fried rice in each, "Here."  
  
Taking a bite, he said, "Wow, two months you're here and you haven't told me that you're a cook!"  
  
"Emily won't let me cook, so I have to secretly do it when she's out," she grinned mischievously, and they sat down at the table.  
  
The two heard the door open and close again.  
  
"Lily, how many times have I told you? You've got to let me prepare things for you," she put her coat and hat away before entering the dining room.  
  
"Oh, I did the cooking, Gran."  
  
She took a bit out of the rice before saying, "No way, I know you can't cook this well." She proceeded to talk to Lily's stomach, "Hey, how's the little baby doing today?"  
  
-----  
  
"The weather's great today, isn't it?" Lily asked.  
  
"Care to join me for a stroll?"  
  
"Gladly."  
  
The two walked to the park, a few blocks away, and sat on the bench.  
  
"Summer's my favorite time of year," Steven commented.  
  
"Me too."  
  
He slipped his arm over her shoulder, and the two watched the kids play on the playground, and the whole picturesque scenery of the park.  
  
-----  
  
Lily gave birth to a daughter that September. She named her Emily after the caring woman who took her in, and Steven provided her with the very best of everything. Lily graciously accepted everything, and although she missed Kaiba, she knew she was very well off and was very happy with the way Emily was growing up. The only thing that made her sad was the fact that she didn't know if Emily would ever know her father, and she wasn't sure if she should just have Steven be called father, since he was already filling the role nicely.  
  
Five years later, with financial support from Steven, Lily managed to open up her own restaurant. Despite a shaky start, it soon grew to prosper in a few years. Steven and Lily lived as husband and wife, but without the titles. They had grown fond of each other. Actually, they never even kissed each other, held hands, linked arms, but never kissed. Still, the time they spent together brought them very close. He gave her space, and understood that she wasn't ready for a relationship. Her priorities were all connected to Emily, not herself. It was good that he understood, because Lily still thought of Kaiba. The frequency diminished from every day to every week, but she still wanted to see how he was.  
  
In all her time spent in the loving and caring environment of the Lum's, Lily changed. Her pride and hardness in her heart cracked, and matured beyond sarcastic comments and insults. She learned of all the happiness life offered in the companionship of others, and how much more comforting it was to have others than to be all alone. She was ashamed of her selfish past and was overjoyed to have a stable source of income, rather than just getting checks every month.  
  
-----  
  
Emily was seven years old, and the four were celebrating Lily's birthday at home. It was nine o' clock, so both the Emilys had to go to bed. The two were sitting on the couch, opened presents spread on the floor, and the moonlight shining through the window was the only source of light.  
  
"Thank you," Lily whispered.  
  
"Oh, well, Gran arranged—"  
  
"I meant for everything. You've given so much to me, and all I've done is receive."  
  
"Don't worry about it," he held her hand.  
  
"I don't know how I could ever repay you. You've made me rethink my priorities in life...I'm forever in your debt."  
  
"Don't say that."  
  
"Emily is so happy, and you've contributed so much to that."  
  
"And so have you. You can't underestimate the motherly influence you have."  
  
"Still, thank you," she said with a smile. He leaned towards her and kissed her softly.  
  
"Lily, I...I've always wanted to start a family, and I've grown very attached to you and Emily over the years, and I think I've given you time, and I think we're ready and it would work...so I, well..." he slid off the couch and got on one knee, "Will you marry me?"  
  
Lily stared at the gorgeous diamond ring.

-----

okay...so i've just ZOOMED through a whole bunch of years. but that's only because Seto's not in it, and if i developed it too much, you'd get bored. so bear in mind, people grow on each other as the years pass, so the proposal wasn't out of the blue.

and, i almost ended it here...actually i was gonna make her brother shoot her in front of kaiba, and was gonna make him choose his company over her, but then i was like...that sucks. so, there are gonna be more chapters later, okay? :D oh yeah. review!


	15. Friends?

okay, someone asked me...actually two people i think...why didn't she just call? and i was like...huh. why didn't she call? and then i remembered what i was gonna do. Her brother was gonna force her into isolation, not allowing her to call anyone. but then, i forgot about that plan, actually her brother is just annoying, so i got rid of him, and then i made him just dump her somewhere. and then...yeah. hehe...so i messed up. that's okay. ahem, so it's too late for that. to change it i mean. yeah. sorry. i wasn't thinking. ::laughs nervously::

-----

No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 1 Corinthians 13:3 (Msg)  
  
-----  
  
Lily hadn't expected this. She wasn't looking for any boyfriend or husband; she was too focused on raising Emily. It made sense though, now, that Emily wasn't dependent on Lily every minute, the two had spent more time getting to know each other, but what she didn't understand was why he'd want to marry her when there were so many other better candidates out there.  
  
"I...I, I don't know...but why would you want to marry me? I'm self-centered, sarcastic, I haven't even completed high school, Emily isn't even your child, my family is strange, myself included—"  
  
"I want to, because, I've spent so much time with you that I've grown...to love you. I know you weren't pursuing any relationship, but I know we can make things work. Nothing will really change anyway, and I love Emily like she was my own."  
  
"...but...I have to think."  
  
"Yes, take all the time you need."  
  
"I don't want to seem like I'm just taking advantage of you, but I think I have to visit Japan and figure something out. I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I don't want you making a decision you'll regret."  
  
-----  
  
Lily stood at the terminal gate and waved to Emily and Steven. "I promise I'll come back." She took her daughter's hand and walked towards the plane.  
  
"Mommy, why are we going to Japan?"  
  
"I need to see someone."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"A friend of mine."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You'll see, now put on your seatbelt."  
  
"What's Japan like?"  
  
"Fun."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I used to live there."  
  
Emily's eyes became wide, "Really?"  
  
"I never lie."  
  
"What are we going to do there?"  
  
"Well, I need to visit my friend, but then we can do anything you want."  
  
"Can we have ice-cream?"  
  
"Well, that's given."  
  
Emily grinned, satisfied with her mother's answer. Half an hour into the flight, she fell asleep, using her mom as a pillow. Lily was listening to music for a bit before falling asleep herself.  
  
They were arriving in Japan before they knew it, and woke up as the plane descended.  
  
"Mommy, my ears hurt."  
  
"Here, chew some gum."  
  
"How does that help?"  
  
"I don't know, but it helps me."  
  
Emily shrugged and took the Juicyfruit.  
  
After they exited the airport, they took a cab to Kaiba's residence. Inside, Emily was pestering her mother with more questions.  
  
"How long are we gonna stay here?"  
  
"As long as we need."  
  
"How long is that?"  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
"Huh. Where are we going?"  
  
"To my friend's house."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"Is the car still moving?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, then no."  
  
"Can I braid your hair?"  
  
"No, but I can do yours."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Lily finished the French braid right as the cab pulled up in front of the mansion. She mumbled to herself, "still as fancy as before," and they walked up the long driveway.  
  
::bells ringing:: (you know those fancy houses don't have a doorbell, but bells.)  
  
Mokuba answered the door, "Hi. Can I help you?"  
  
_He doesn't remember me.  
_  
"I'm looking for Mr. Kaiba."  
  
"Oh, he's out on a date. Who are you?"  
  
"I, uh, work for him. I have some news."  
  
"Really?" He eyed her light blue jeans and black jean jacket before turning his attention to the younger one, "Is it important?"  
  
"It's okay, I'll just tell him on Monday." (It was Saturday.) The two left.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"No...it's just...the memories..."  
  
"It's okay," Emily held her mom's hand in an effort to comfort her.  
  
_He's out on a date...well what do you expect? Of course he's gonna move on...you haven't talked to him in such a long time. What if he doesn't even remember me? This whole trip has been made in vain..._  
  
"I'm hungry. Can we get some ice-cream?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
The two went to the same ice-cream shop where she and Kaiba had their first kiss, saw her brother, and so many other memories.  
  
"CHOCOLATE!!! Double scoop! Waffle cone, please. Double! Double! Double!" Emily chanted.  
  
"And, I'll have...well I'll just share with her."  
  
"No! Then you're gonna eat all of mine!! Single scoop, chocolate, in a cup, please," she said to the employee.  
  
The two took a seat at one of the tables. Just then the bell hanging on the door rang, signaling another customer. She turned her head to see that it was Kaiba and another woman. (GASP! Can it be?)  
  
She inhaled sharply.  
  
"Mommy, are you okay?"  
  
"The memories...my head hurts, hun, that's all."  
  
Emily hugged her mother and patted her back, "It's okay. The ice cream will cheer you up."  
  
Jealously surged through her blood as she saw Kaiba and the woman kiss. She grumbled, "That woman..."  
  
Emily copied her mother's anger, because whatever Lily did, she had to do. Taking her mother's spoon, she scooped a blob of ice-cream from her cone, handed the cone for her mother to hold, and catapulted the ice-cream so that it hit the woman in the face.  
  
"AHHHH!"  
  
She started to giggle hysterically at the woman's reaction, and Lily chuckled to herself without glancing over at them.  
  
Kaiba and the other lady were not amused.  
  
She started to cry, "My new shirt, it's ruined!"  
  
Emily remarked, "Pfft, who cares about your shirt, look at your face!" and her laughter turned silent; she was laughing that hard.  
  
Kaiba sternly said to Lily, "How dare you let your child go around doing such disrespectful things? Do either of you know who I am?"  
  
"Don't talk to my mom like that!"  
  
"Shh, Emily, you don't need to get mad at Seto. I'm sure this meeting would have been better if you both knew as much as I do about the situation," she said more to the wall than to both of them. She was facing the opposite direction and not revealing her identity.  
  
The chocolate covered lady butted into the conversation, "How RUDE! Both of you! Don't you know that you have to address him as Mr. Kaiba?"  
  
"Let it go," Lily casually said. She stood up, hair covering her face on the couple's side, and continued, "Come Emily, let's go to the beach, but be careful, wouldn't want to get pinched by a crab," and she chuckled to herself.  
  
"Reveal yourself," Kaiba ordered.  
  
"You've moved on, Seto. Let me."  
  
"Who are you? That you think you can go around not addressing me as Mr. Kaiba."  
  
"You're not any superior to us, so why don't you just stop being so arrogant." Emily retorted.  
  
"My, my, aren't you just wonderfully obnoxious."  
  
"I _know_ what that means."  
  
"Look who's got such a big vocabulary for her age. Outspoken, which is more than what I can say about her mom."  
  
"Don't you dare insult us. I hate you! You're just a mean, stupid, bastard!"  
  
"I'd clean her mouth if I were you," Kaiba said to Lily.  
  
"If you knew who he was, you wouldn't hate him, Emily. Let's just go."  
  
This comment shocked everyone.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I don't think you'd care, or even recognize me. Your brother doesn't, but well, as you wish," she said and turned around.  
  
"L...Lily?"  
  
"The one and only," she smirked, "Well, now that you know, and I know that you've moved on, can we go now?"  
  
"I thought you were dead! I couldn't find you anywhere. Where were you?"  
  
"Canada."  
  
"Why did you leave?"  
  
"I didn't. I would have come back, but considering I had no money and was carrying Emily, I didn't really have the option to come back, did I?"  
  
He looked at Emily and saw his own blue eyes sternly glaring back at him.  
  
"Is she...she..." he pointed at Emily.  
  
"Yes she is."  
  
"At a loss for words now? Resorting to pointing fingers, hmm?" Emily said, disregarding her mother's comment on the fact that she had no idea what she was referring to. "Didn't your mom ever _tell_ you it was rude to point?"  
  
"Em, let's go."  
  
"Wait, Lily, will I ever see you again?"  
  
"I highly doubt it. It was nice seeing you though. Would have been nicer without Barbie there splattered in ice-cream," she said and laughed with her daughter.  
  
After they exited, Michelle, Kaiba's girlfriend, said, "Can you believe the nerve of those girls?"  
  
"Yeah...can you believe how beautiful Emily is? She's just like her mother..."  
  
"How can you—"  
  
"Listen, I don't think that we are going to work."  
  
"Are you breaking up with me?"  
  
"Uh, yes. I lost her once, I'm not losing her again," he left her to mope about her sticky situation.  
  
Kaiba found Lily and Emily splashing in the water on the beach and walked over to them. When Emily caught sight of him, her excitement and laughter disappeared, and her face turned icy cold, "What do _you_ want?"  
  
"I just need to talk to Lily for a moment."  
  
"Okay, why don't you go and eat some of those sandwiches in the cooler? And put on sunscreen! Seto, look, I'm sorry about what happened to your girlfriend back there, Emily didn't mean to—"  
  
"I want you back."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I can't lose you again. I want to be a part of Emily's life, and I missed you," he leaned in to kiss her, but she backed away.  
  
"It's too late. It's not your fault, or my fault, it's just the way things happened."  
  
"But now, you're here, stay, with me. Both of you."  
  
"I've got a life back in Canada, Seto. I can't just abandon that. There's also someone else."  
  
"Lily, please, I loved you, and I still do."  
  
"He asked me to marry him."  
  
"Fine, but answer me this, why did you come here then?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Answer truthfully."  
  
"You."  
  
"Exactly. I'll be waiting for your answer," he kissed her cheek and left.

-----

okay, i've written most of it out already, so i can't really change it and make her call and Kaiba rescues her from her tragic life in Canada...that would be lame, too. well anyway. now she has to choose. hehe. Emily cracks me up. cheeky little kid...:D and as always...review.


	16. Neither Brain Nor Heart

Here's another chapter...I'm rushing to put everything up before I go to HAWAII!!! :D:D i'm excited.

-----

Everyone's unique: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous. Psalm 139: 13-14 (NLT)  
  
-----  
  
Now Lily was faced with a huge decision. Would she marry the man who looked out for her, cared for her, and was already like a father to her daughter? Or, would she opt for the riskier route and try to work things out with the biological father, who already has a shaky relationship with Emily?  
  
Steven had been there for her, and he was probably the biggest reason why she was so well today. It would be awful to turn him down after all that he did. Plus, it would seem that she was just using him.  
  
Seto was the real father and although they hadn't seen each other for such a long time, they still loved each other. Well, at least she thought she still loved him. That counted for something, right? And even though Emily claimed to hate him, there's a thin line behind love and hate...right? And would it make a difference if she told her that Seto was her father? Would it be the best thing to put her in a new environment and change everything? _That would be too much...she's grown so attached to Steven, I mean, so have I, but I only love him as a friend. I just don't see myself being with him, but I have been living with him for so many years already, and it was going great.  
_  
She was trying to make the best decision for Emily, but she knew she couldn't ask her, since she was too young to make such a life altering decision, or was she? Did Emily have the perspective to see the consequences of each choice? Did Lily even have enough age and experience to make the right decision?  
  
There was another question. Why did she get so jealous when she saw Michelle with Kaiba? Did it mean that she didn't want anyone to be with him except for her? But she couldn't help but feel guilty about Steven. He gave her everything when she needed it, but now that she doesn't, was it wrong to leave? She would probably be happy with him though, he was considerate, good mannered, well off, everything she could want. But then why was she so hesitant?  
  
The answer lies in the fact that she had no closure in her relationship with Kaiba. After all, they didn't break up, but she was taken away and neither could do anything about the situation. She was helpless, and he was clueless. Neither wanted the relationship to end, and now, she didn't know what she wanted. So much for the advice of following your heart; it doesn't help if it's confused.  
  
If only she had a best friend to discuss everything with.  
  
The only person she thought would be the best to talk to was Yugi...but how would she get his number? No need. She'll just go to the shop, he probably didn't move.  
  
"Emily, let's go, I have to see someone."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"My friend."  
  
"Okay."  
  
They took a cab and a few minutes later stopped at the game shop.  
  
"Why are we here?"  
  
"My friend, remember?"  
  
"What about that mansion we visited earlier today?"  
  
"Another friend. He wasn't there," she said and opened the door.  
  
"Oooooh," Emily noticed all the interesting objects.  
  
"Look, don't touch...Tea?"  
  
"Uh...how did you know my name??"  
  
"Er, I'm looking for Yugi."  
  
"Yeah, just a sec," she smiled and disappeared into the back. Two minutes later, he came out.  
  
"Hi, how may I help you?"  
  
"Hey, uh...I'm Lily, uh, do you remember me?"  
  
He gave her a perplexed look.  
  
"We went to school...it was like 8 years ago..."  
  
He wrinkled his eyebrows in thought.  
  
"Uh, never mind, but nice to see you finally with Tea. At least my work wasn't done in vain."  
  
"Oh, yeah! I remember now."  
  
"Are you just saying that?"  
  
"No, uh, you and Kaiba were at dinner with us, which you arranged, but then...you disappeared."  
  
"Yeah. And uh, do you remember what happened at the hospital?"  
  
"...er...yeah, I found you that morning and—"  
  
"Good, okay, so you remember...uh, I need some advice."  
  
"Uh, okay."  
  
"Do you think we could talk somewhere private?"  
  
"Yeah, let's go upstairs," he said and motioned to the stairs, "So, what did you need?"  
  
"Okay, well I have a huge choice to make."  
  
"Er, okay."  
  
"So, I have to explain what happened...blahblahblah...so now I have to choose, and I have no idea."  
  
"Wow..."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Who do you love more?"  
  
"I think...Kaiba, but would that be selfish of me to choose him?"  
  
"You need to discuss it with your daughter."  
  
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."  
  
"Well, I hope that helps."  
  
"Thanks. Bye, and uh, hope you're doing well with Tea," the two descended the staircase, "Emily, time to go."  
  
When the two exited, Emily said to her mother, "Look what I snuck out," and revealed a toy figurine.  
  
"You are truly my daughter, but, you're gonna have to return that."  
  
"Awww...but I did it right under Tea's nose! She was right next to me, too!"  
  
"And as much as I find that amusing, stealing is illegal," she dragged her back to the shop, "I believe my daughter has something of yours."  
  
She reluctantly gave up the toy.  
  
"So, where are we going now?"  
  
"Back to the beach, we have to talk."  
  
"Okay."  
  
-----  
  
"So, what's up, mommy?" Emily questioned and wriggled her toes in the sand.  
  
"Okay, I have a huge decision to make."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Just hear me out...so you know Seto Kaiba—"  
  
"You mean that stuck up guy?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, I used to date him when I lived here before."  
  
"Eeeewww..."  
  
"Kinda like the relationship I have with Steven right now."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"And, so, uh...what do you think of Steven?"  
  
"He's cool, but sometimes he's too nice."  
  
"Have you ever wanted a father?"  
  
"Yeah, like the other kids, but it doesn't really matter."  
  
"Oh. Well, what would you think if I stopped living with Steven?"  
  
"I'll still be with you, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh, that's fine."  
  
"Really."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What if we never see him again?"  
  
She thought a bit before responding, "Well, why?"  
  
"I don't know if I should even tell you, but Seto Kaiba is your real father."  
  
"Hahahaha, good one, mom!"  
  
"I wish I were joking, hun, but it's true, and he's asked me to stay with him."  
  
"But...he's so weird! And what about ice-cream lady?"  
  
"She's out of the picture."  
  
Her eyes bulged out, "She's dead?"  
  
"No no, he broke up with her."  
  
"Ahh, so what are you gonna do?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
"Huh. Well, I'm not sure either way, so choose the one you like best."  
  
"Do you mind if we move here? You won't see your friends anymore."  
  
"Oh..." she looked sad but then lightened up again, "but you said Japan was fun!"  
  
"It is. How about we spend some time with Seto and his brother? We'll see how it works, okay? And then tomorrow, we can go visit the amusement parks."  
  
"Okay," she said and her stomach grumbled.  
  
"Let's go eat."  
  
The two picked up some McDonald's, Emily's request of course, and they arrived at the Kaiba mansion. They were greeted by a butler. Emily was in awe of the size of the house, and Mokuba walked to the entrance to see who arrived. "Oh, you again."  
  
"That's not the way to treat a guest, Mokuba. So, Lily, have you made a decision?" Mokuba shrugged and left for his room.  
  
"Actually, not yet, but I think Emily should see her environment before I stick her in it."  
  
"That's fine," he said and handed them two pins, "Put these on, so that if you get lost, we can communicate and find you."  
  
"I think I still remember my way around this house," she replied and gave back one, "But you, dear, definitely need this."  
  
"Emily, feel free to wander around the house. Your mother and I shall talk in my office. Ask Ben if you need anything, that would be him. He'll show you your room; you guys are staying right?"  
  
"Yes. And make sure you keep that pin on, okay? We don't need to be searching the house for you," she kissed her forehead and Emily ran off.  
  
"So, how have you been?"  
  
"Good, you?"  
  
"Not bad."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Look, about Michelle. After you were gone, I finished high school more into my work than ever. I enveloped myself into work to get my mind off of you, but I didn't work. The more I thought about things, I realized the value of having someone, and so I decided to maybe date or something, but nobody could replace you, and then I thought of how you always say the one and only whenever someone says your name. And then I accepted the fact that I missed you so much."  
  
"I missed you too, you know. My brother dragged me to Canada, and abandoned me. I had no money, nothing. I was carrying Emily, and I happened to come across this wonderful woman who took me in. Her grandson took care of me, but I never wanted to pursue a relationship with him. The four of us lived together, and it seemed like everything was going to be okay. When he proposed, I was scared. I thought about you all the time, but I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want Emily to go on the plane so young, and then I was so caught up in my work that I never really thought of coming back."  
  
"Work?"  
  
"Steven gave me enough money to start up a restaurant."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"And then when Emily was five, I figured that you might have moved on, and your brother didn't even recognize me. So when I saw you with Bar—I mean, uh...what's-her-face, Michelle, yeah, I knew you moved on. I tried to leave, but then...yeah."  
  
"I can't help but be selfish; I want you Lily, and now that I've seen you again, it's going to be hard to let go."  
  
"I want to be with you, too, but I'm not sure if it's the best thing."  
  
The two were sitting on the couch, and Kaiba moved in to kiss her. This time she didn't avoid it, and it lasted for about five seconds. "I...uhm, er...I have to...tuck in Emily. It's her bedtime," she finally managed to sputter out and exited the room. Kaiba just sighed.

-----

ah...no decision yet. :D :D well, i still didn't address the calling issue. i think i'll just avoid it all together, although that would be a bit immature for me. BUT THAT'S OKAY! hehehe...i'm way too lazy, plus, i've got all this VBS stuff going on...so just review!


	17. Time, Parents

The best way to spell love is t-i-m-e. (Rick Warren) ...that is SO TRUE. a friend of mine told me that it's the only thing that you can give and not take back...  
  
-----  
  
The next morning Lily woke up in her room, located next to her daughter's. She wanted to take a shower, but then remembered that she didn't bring any baggage. (Why? She's weird, that's all. She planned on not staying very long, but then that changed.) She opened the cabinet, not expecting to find anything, but to her surprise, her old clothes were there. The ones from eight years ago. The ones that she just left there because she spent the night at his house, too. She grabbed a pair of cargoes and a navy blue polo shirt. Her bras were there, too, and she smiled.  
  
When she finished the shower, she went over to Emily's room to find her still sleeping. Hungry, she made her way to the kitchen and found Kaiba sitting at the table in flannel pajamas and a white tank, reading the paper and taking a bite out of a bagel covered in cream cheese.  
  
"Morning," she chirped.  
  
"Somebody slept well last night."  
  
"I did," she replied and opened the refrigerator, "juice?" she poured a glass for herself.  
  
"No thanks," he said and took a sip of his coffee.  
  
Taking a seat next to him, she said, "So, what's for breakfast?"  
  
"You're the cook, remember?" he responded.  
  
"And the guest," she took the bagel out of his hand and took a bite out of it.  
  
"That's mine!" He tried to take it back from her, but she ran away towards the living room. Both were dashing around the furniture, but then Kaiba tackled her onto the couch and grabbed it back. They wrestled on the couch but the bagel was long forgotten when he started to tickle her. She squealed in laughter and when he stopped, he really, really wanted to just kiss her. To his surprise, she initiated it, and before long they were making out.  
  
"Mommy! Daddy! There's food in the kitchen! Don't eat each other!" Lily and Kaiba turned to their daughter. He quickly moved off of her and thought for a moment.  
  
"You told her?"  
  
"I couldn't decide."  
  
"I'm hungry!" Emily wailed, ignoring her parents' conversation.  
  
Straightening out her shirt, Lily got up and said, "Okay, what do you want? Cereal? Pancakes? Eggs? Sausage? Bacon? Fruit? Toast?"  
  
Her face lightened up, and she yelled, "ALL OF THEM! ...wait, toast is bread, right? No bread."  
  
"Okay," Lily walked to the kitchen.  
  
"Are you sure she can eat all that?"  
  
"Stop talking as if I weren't here!" Emily glared at her father.  
  
"Er, can you eat that much?"  
  
"_Of course_," she said, as if he were the biggest moron alive, "Mommy says I'm growing, so I can eat all I want. Plus, she also says I have a fast me- ta-bo-lis-um"  
  
"Uh...that's nice."  
  
"You're gonna have to be friendlier than that if you expect us to stay," she said matter-of-factly and opened the freezer, "ICE CREAM!!! Now that's a step in the right direction," and she took the carton out.  
  
"Here's a spoon," Kaiba tried to say sweetly.  
  
"What about mommy?"  
  
"I don't think she wants ice-cream for breakfast."  
  
"How do _you_ know?" she rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"Well, I—"  
  
"No, you don't know that we eat ice cream with our pancakes and fruit...Are they done yet?"  
  
"Almost dear."  
  
Three minutes later she started stuffing her mouth with pancakes, which shut her up.  
  
"I'm so full..." Emily moaned.  
  
"Honey, don't eat so much next time. You don't have to eat like there's no tomorrow."  
  
"So, uh, Emily, how'd you sleep?" Kaiba tried to start conversation.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Is the house to your liking?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Find enough things to play with, or do?"  
  
"Look, if you're trying to make me choose you over Steven, you're gonna have to do better than just a fancy house. Steven can get one, too."  
  
"So, what do you want to do today?" Lily tried to steer the conversation away from something ugly.  
  
"Uh...I don't know. You've lived here before. You choose."  
  
"Hmmm...how long do you want to stay here?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"We didn't bring much clothes. We can go shopping."  
  
"Okay! Let's go!" she jumped out of her seat and dashed to the door, "Beat you! Hahahaha!"  
  
"Don't run after you eat. How many times have I told you?" Lily chided.  
  
"No fun."  
  
"You guys go ahead; I have a meeting to go to..."  
  
Lily gave him a disappointed look and Emily just shrugged.  
  
"Steven always has time to spend with us, and he's a CEO too, you know."  
  
"If he's busy, then he's busy. Let's go Emily...oh, can we use your car?"  
  
"Uh...yeah."  
  
_She's just like her mother...outspoken and blunt but adorable all at the same time. She's not shy or submissive...she speaks her mind and doesn't let anything get in her way...she wasn't even intimidated by me, and I was a stranger. And she's right...it's going to take a lot from me to convince them to stay with me...and way to start it off by blowing them off. Great job...well, they can handle the meeting without me...I think...anyway, they screw things up, they get fired, simple as that...anyway, I can't babysit them all the time...let's see what these people can do without my guidance._  
  
He picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Kaiba here, can't make it to the meeting, so you're in charge, okay? Full report tomorrow."  
  
"But—"  
  
He hung up.  
  
_Now if I'm not mistaken, there's only one mall that Lily really likes to go to, and since Emily still is wearing that thing...I can track them down easily._  
  
He spotted the two in food court as he passed by a jewelry store.  
  
_Oooh, shiny. That's it! I'll challenge his proposal with one from me._  
  
And he went inside and bought the most expensive ring they sold. He put it in his inside pocket for safekeeping and made his way to the ladies munching on fries.  
  
"Hello ladies."  
  
"Meeting finished early?" Emily snickered.  
  
"Hi Seto."  
  
"I see you're eating...again."  
  
"Want some?" Emily stuck a fry in his face.  
  
"Er, thanks, but no."  
  
"No? How can you say no to a delicious, greasy, fatty, strip of 'potato'?" she did the quotes handmotions and popped one into her mouth and picked up another, "Eat it, Dad. I'll even let you have ketchup." Lily pushed the cup of ketchup towards him and laughed.  
  
"Whoa. You know, your mother did the same to me before, except with ice-cream."  
  
"You denied the chance to eat ICE-CREAM?!?! Are you...stupid?"  
  
"That's not the way to talk to your father, hun. Trust me, I gave him a hard time, so don't worry your pretty little head about it," she said and patted her head, "Now apologize."  
  
"Do I have to?" she whined.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Fine," she crinkled her face.  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Don't hurry me."  
  
"Well if you didn't take all day..."  
  
"Sorry dad."  
  
"Apology accepted...now have you done any shopping yet?"  
  
"Nope," the two said together.  
  
"So first thing you did was go to the food court?" he raised his eyebrow.  
  
"Mommy was thirsty, but you're fine now, right?"  
  
"Yeah. We need to get you some pants..."  
  
She groaned, "Clothes are boring."  
  
"Well, would you rather go around wearing nothing at all?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"All right...well then let's take off your t-shirt," Lily said and started to lift up her shirt.  
  
"Ahh! No! Don't do it!" she struggled to push the shirt down, "Okay, okay! Let's go get some clothes."  
  
"You have a unique way of parenting."  
  
"So?"  
  
"When's it my turn?" he said suggestively.  
  
"You're a big boy now; you don't get a turn."  
  
"What are you guys talking about? Are we going to go or not?" Emily demanded, hands on her hips.  
  
So, the three went around and bought some stuff, well actually a lot of stuff. But that didn't matter, since Kaiba did all the holding of the bags. What? That's his job. What he didn't expect, though, was such a large quantity; otherwise, he would have brought some servants along.  
  
He watched the two ladies interact, and although Emily was high maintenance, spoiled, and bossy towards all the mall employees, Lily always had control over her. Her word was law, and Emily certainly knew and respected that. She'd need more time to adjust to having Kaiba as an authority figure, though. He didn't worry because he knew that if Lily still loved him and decided to stay, Emily would see how much the couple meant to each other, and she'd grow to respect him. He was waiting at the entrance of the store for the two to finish, and he turned around to inspect the ring again.  
  
"Daddy, what are you looking at?"  
  
He immediately snapped the box closed and slipped it into his pocket, "Nothing."  
  
"Mommy...dad's keeping a secret," she said and tugged on her sleeve.  
  
"Well, I'm sure when the time's right, he'll tell us."  
  
"You mean show."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Lily gave off an air of indifference, so Emily dismissed it. After all, if her mom didn't care, she didn't either.  
  
-----  
  
It was dinnertime, and the three of them were eating at a fancy restaurant. Emily kept on pestering the waiter by interrupting him and asking more questions, and when he said that she was obnoxious, she responded with, 'You're obnoxious. And don't think I don't know what that means.'  
  
"Mommy, the waiter's mean. Can we go now?"  
  
"Don't worry about him, remember, the customer is—"  
  
"Always right," she grinned.  
  
"Don't you want dessert?"  
  
"Ice-cream?" her face glowed.  
  
"How much ice-cream did you eat when you were carrying her?" Kaiba asked worriedly.  
  
"A lot."  
  
"That explains it."  
  
Kaiba was the only one who wasn't eating ice-cream, and after they stopped pestering him, he decided that it was a good a time as any and took out the ring. Dropping to one knee, he said, "I'll never know why you two love ice-cream so much, but I know one thing. There is undeniable chemistry between us, and despite the time we've spent apart, I still love you, I always will...both of you, so uh...Lily, will you marry me?"  
  
Kaiba felt so nervous that he was actually sweating. He was a grown man, and yet her presence still had the power to incapacitate all reason within him. He couldn't bear the refusal, but knew he'd never get the courage to just propose alone with her, he'd just put if off forever, and by the time he talked himself into doing it, she'd be gone...with that Steven fellow. So there he was, proposing to her in front of a crowd. He must have had too much wine to drink or something...what else would explain this seemingly reckless behavior? Still, he would have been devastated if she said no. in his mind he was praying _please say yes...please say yes...say yes...please...  
_  
The people from the other tables turned to them, and Lily became nervous from the attention, but her daughter brought her attention back to Kaiba as she said, "Well, aren't you going to say yes? I mean, dads and moms are _supposed_ to be married. And the ring is so pretty!"  
  
"Y...yes."  
  
The restaurant folk (hehe, folk), cheered and clapped their hands before returning to their meals.  
  
Kaiba slipped the ring onto her finger, and said, "So, will you stay?"  
  
"Well, I am engaged."  
  
"Mommy! Can I see the ring?"  
  
Lily showed her hand to her daughter, and she was transfixed by it.  
  
"_I_ can't wait to get married."  
  
"Ooh, yes you can," Kaiba said, and Lily just laughed.

-----

ah...finally...a decision has been made! :D wonderful news! :D :D well, i think the choice was obvious...but it was STILL under my control. i don't think anyone wanted them not to be together. but...will things work out?! huh?! HUH???

ahem, so i didn't really develop Steven, mostly because with Kaiba out of the picture, it wouldn't really be related to yugioh would it? no...yeah...just saying...we're nearing the end...just a couple of chapters...i've already written them...they'll be up before friday, cuz that's when i'm leaving for a well deserved vacation...yeah...so, review!


	18. A Child's Undoing

The next day...  
  
"So, we'd better pack up our stuff in Canada...how am I going to break the news to Steven?"  
  
Emily shrugged.  
  
"I think we should all go together."  
  
And they did. They took a flight that afternoon, so they didn't arrive there until early that morning. Kaiba carried his sleeping daughter into the hotel room. He was wide awake from thinking of the possible reactions this guy would have. Would he get mad? Throw things at him? Try to fight him? Take it well? Cry? He had no idea. To his surprise, both of them actually, he took it well.  
  
"Hello Steven."  
  
"Lily! You're back!" his excitement dwindled as he noticed Kaiba holding hands with Emily, "Who'd you bring?"  
  
"Steven...I can't marry you...he's the real father, and our relationship is back together. I'm sorry. I wasn't the right girl for you anyway. You'll find her soon enough. I'm just here to take Emily's things."  
  
"Oh...uh...yeah, go ahead," he sounded disappointed.  
  
They took their stuff quickly, and said their goodbyes...  
  
"Bye Steven...I'll miss you," Emily said and gave him a hug.  
  
Well, he took that well...too well. (DUN DUN DUN!!!)  
  
Okay, so Kaiba and Lily got married the next day after they returned to Japan. It was a simple affair, since both of them didn't really have much family. Emily got to dress up and throw petals everywhere, and Kaiba's trusted servants were the witnesses, along with Mokuba.  
  
They were planning on honeymooning in Australia, and Mokuba would take care of Emily, since it was summer and there was no school anyway.  
  
Lily and Kaiba had three days to pack, and to convince Emily that she wouldn't want to come along anyway. It was four o' clock.  
  
"Please? Why can't I come?"  
  
"Well, there are all sorts of creepy animals in Australia...like snakes and lizards, spiders, and humongous bugs that bite you, crocodiles—"  
  
"Then why are you going?"  
  
"Because it's a wonderful place."  
  
"How can it be wonderful with all those scary animals?"  
  
"Because I'll be in the company of your mother."  
  
"Two of us would be better than one."  
  
"But would you want to be the third wheel?"  
  
"Tricycles are cool."

"Haven't you heard? Two's company, three's a crowd."

"Yeah? Then why'd they make a show called Three's Company?

"Lily...can you talk to her?"  
  
She just laughed and said, "Are you sure you want to come? There's not much to do, besides well...this," she wrapped her arms around her husband started kissing him.  
  
"Eeeeewww!!" she screamed and ran away.  
  
Once she was gone, Lily broke off and started to walk in the direction she went.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I've just scarred my own child; I must comfort her. We'll resume later," she said and winked.  
  
"Emilllyyyyy! Where are you?" she heard footsteps behind her, "You can't hide forever. You'd never be able to eat ice-cream again."  
  
"Mean," she grumbled and came out of the closet.  
  
"Gets you every time. Honey, we'll only be gone for a week, okay? I promise everything will be okay. Plus, you can pester Mokuba all you want, because he has to be good. That should be fun, shouldn't it?"  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"That's a good girl. Plus, I've restocked the freezer. We're now supplied with mint chocolate chip, strawberry cheesecake, rocky road, vanilla, strawberry, peach, hmmm...there was one more..."  
  
"Rainbow sherbert?"  
  
"That's the one!"  
  
Emily dashed to the kitchen and found her father reading a book and eating a cookie.  
  
"Cookies? Awesome!"  
  
"Lily baked them earlier."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Morning before you woke up."  
  
"Thanks mom!" she turned around to see her mother standing in the doorway.  
  
"Save room for dinner!" she told her. When she knew Emily was preoccupied with her own food, she whispered to Kaiba, "Let's go finish what we started...she won't miss us."  
  
The two were making their way to the stairs, Lily's legs wrapped around his waist, and their mouths locked, when someone pounded on the door. She got off of him and they walked together to the door. Whoever was outside was beating the door, and the noise caught Emily's attention. She entered the foyer as Lily opened to door, revealing a drunk man.  
  
"You!!! You stole her from meeee," he yelled at Kaiba and staggered in.  
  
"Steven?" Lily gasped, "What are you doing?"  
  
"I cared for you, provided everything, and he did nothing. And y-you chose him! You son of a bitch! Knocked her up and left her, and now you want her back. He's no good fer ya, Li-Lill-Lily," he took out a gun, "If I can't have her, then you can't either!!" He grabbed her and stuck a gun to her temple.  
  
"Steven! You don't mean that! Put it away."  
  
"Shut up bitch. I did so much for you, and you just left me."  
  
Emily came running towards her mother, "Don't you dare say that! Leave us alone!!"  
  
"Stay away!" he yelled, but she didn't listen.  
  
::BANG::  
  
Emily's body collapsed to the floor, and Lily screamed in despair, rushing to her daughter's side.  
  
Steven shot at Kaiba but the gun just clicked. "Damn it! What the hell? Only one bullet?!?!"  
  
"How dare you shoot at me!" Kaiba ran towards him and punched him square in the face, knocking him out. He proceeded to kneel at Emily's side.  
  
Lily yelled at no one, everyone, "Call an ambulance!!" (is it 911 in Japan?)  
  
"Mommy...it hurts..." she barely whispered out.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm here. Keep fighting. It'll be okay."  
  
"Where's daddy?"  
  
"He's calling for help now."  
  
"Bring him to me."  
  
"Seto! Come quickly!"  
  
"Daddy..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I love you..." and she closed her eyes.  
  
Seconds later an ambulance came and put her on a cart. Kaiba and Lily sat next to her in the vehicle, on its way to the hospital.  
  
They sat in the lobby, waiting for the doctor's diagnosis. Kaiba had one arm around her, and she stared at her hands in her lap.  
  
As the doctor came up to them, they stood up.  
  
"I'm sorry. She's passed away," he left.  
  
Lily buried her face in Kaiba's chest and cried. He tried to soothe her by rubbing her back, but he found tears coming out of his own eyes. He knew how much Emily meant to her...she was her firstborn. _Their_ firstborn.  
  
They cancelled their trip to Australia, and on the same day as the flight, they held the funeral.  
  
Steven pleaded guilty and went to jail.  
  
Lily stayed in bed almost the entire day, crying. Kaiba tried to work, but he found that his thoughts were only on his wife. Her pillow was always damp, and her eyes, always red. He didn't know how to comfort her, so he just let her cry in his arms.  
  
Day after day, she mourned for her deceased daughter. She wore all black, 24/7, and never felt like doing anything fun, or talking for that matter. Kaiba didn't know what to do or say, so he didn't do anything. He was just...there, watching over her, making sure she ate and showered. She was never hungry, though, and became very thin. Falling into depression, her mind would torture her, days on end, blaming herself for her daughter's death. Kaiba and Lily grew distant, never talking. He covered himself in his work, but he took the liberty to stay at home with Lily, although, it didn't really matter anyway. Lily finally went to see a psychologist, without his knowledge.  
  
With the help of her psychologist and pills, Lily got better and was moving on. Kaiba knew nothing of her progression, however, despite the fact that they shared the same bed. He would often stay up late, going to bed when she was already asleep. In the morning, he would wake up early, 4 or 5 o'clock.  
  
The first day that Lily woke up happy was Emily's birthday, September 3. She knew that she had to be happy that day, because her daughter would be. She was celebrating with her mother in her heart, and Lily's heart no longer ached. That morning she prepared breakfast for Kaiba and brought it into his office. She was wearing blue and white pajamas, instead of the black ones she had worn for almost two months.  
  
"Sorry to bother your work, but I thought you'd like some breakfast," she timidly said and walked into his office.  
  
"You're not wearing black," he stated the obvious.  
  
"Today is Emily's birthday, and I'm celebrating it. These are the matching pajamas that I had with her. I'm feeling really happy today, and I know Emily is too."  
  
"Oh...well thanks. I'm glad you're feeling well," he said distractedly, taking a bite out of his toast.  
  
"I guess I better get going," she quietly responded and turned to leave.  
  
"Thanks again for the breakfast," he managed to smile.  
  
_Oh, I should have talked to him about my problems...now it's like we're not even friends...::sigh::...well, I guess I'll just bake some cookies or something..._  
  
She stood in the kitchen and found no supplies; she hadn't walked in there since the day her daughter got shot. Opening the freezer, she noticed all the ice-cream, still untouched. Lily decided to go buy some groceries and cook all the foods that Emily loved to eat. She got dressed and took her husband's car.  
  
Upon reaching Albertsons (I don't know any Japanese supermarkets), she started in the candy isle, picking up sour gummy worms, Emily's favorite candy. She bought a whole range of items, varying from meat to noodles to cake mix, with everything in between. She even needed the help of one of the employees to bring the all the stuff in her car. When she arrived at home, it took 7 trips to the kitchen and back to bring it all in. Bringing the last bunch of bags into the kitchen, she saw Mokuba getting a soda out of the refrigerator.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hungry?"  
  
"A bit."  
  
"You've grown so tall!"  
  
"I'm in college, you know."  
  
"Right. Uh...so want anything in specific?"  
  
He saw the spaghetti noodles in a bag next to him, "That would be fine," he said, pointing to the package.  
  
"Okay, it'll be ready in 15 minutes."  
  
"I'm gonna watch TV until then," he said and left.  
  
/15 minutes later/  
  
"MOOKUUBBAA!!"  
  
"Cooommiiing!"  
  
"Here you go," she handed him a bowl of noodles, "And a fork."  
  
"Thanks sis."  
  
_Sis? Oh yeah, he's my brother in law._  
  
Five minutes later he put the empty bowl in the sink. Lily had started to prep for baking a cake. It was going to have five layers, chocolate, vanilla, ice-cream, vanilla, chocolate. She had icing of different colors, and she also started to make jello, with five layers as well, rainbow! :D hehe.  
  
A few hours later, when she was finished, she stored the cake in the freezer, and the jello in the refrigerator, and decided to do a bit of shopping.  
  
-----  
  
So sad...I didn't want her to be gone...she was the coolest kid! I think she's my favorite character. I didn't want to kill her off...really I didn't. :(


	19. The Final Chapter: Everything Changes Wi...

She passed by Victoria's Secret, and thought for a bit before entering. She wanted to make herself desirable, so she bought…well some stuff.

It was almost four when she got home, and she found Kaiba looking for food in the kitchen.

"Got any food?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was doing a bit of shopping. Did you want anything in particular?"

She made him a meal, and when he finished it, he quickly thanked her and returned to his office. That saddened her; she wanted to talk to him, spend time with him again, but he didn't see that. He didn't know that she was making a rebound and needed him to encourage her. Not knowing what to do, Lily watched some TV.

It was eight o' clock, and Kaiba was focusing intently on his computer screen. He had loads of work, like always, despite the fact that he hadn't taken much time off to spend with Lily or his brother. He heard the door open and looked up to see Lily there, dressed in a black trench coat. He flashed her a quick smile and turned his attention back to the computer. She took of the jacket, revealing her newly bought lingerie, and walked over to him. Sitting on his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was an awkward moment, Kaiba confused at her behavior, and both unaccustomed to showing such affection to each other. She leaned in to kiss him, slowly and gently, nothing like the ones they used to share.

The phone went off.

"I…have to get that…"

"Yeah."

He started to talk on the phone, looking around at his papers as he did so. Lily had retreated to another chair, and Kaiba was engrossed in his work and conversation. He received another call, put it on hold, and resumed talking on the phone. He looked at the computer every once in a while, and Lily was surprised by how much he said. They were lucky if they even exchanged 20 words, and here he was going on and on about work. It was as if he was more passionate towards his co-workers than his own wife.

About forty minutes later, he was done. Looking around the room, he saw that Lily wasn't even there. He hadn't even noticed that she had slipped out almost half an hour ago, but he shrugged it off and started to resume his work. Kaiba found himself unable to focus, as his thoughts were on the strangeness of her behavior. Now that he thought about it, what was she wearing? Her skin felt cold when he touched her back. What did she even want? Why did she come in? He could no longer brush the questions of her behavior off as symptoms of depression and set off in search of Lily.

The first room he checked was the kitchen, but he only found Mokuba eating jello. Jello? Since when did they have jello? He had other things to think about, though, so he ignored it, for the moment. Making his way to their bedroom, he found it empty. He figured that she might be in her daughter's room, and he went in that direction. As he passed by her old guest room though, he heard muffled crying and discovered that was where she had been hiding.

To go in, or not to go in?

It was a tough question. He couldn't avoid talking with her forever, or actually, she couldn't keep to herself forever.

"Why are you crying?"

It came out harsher than he intended, and she burst into more tears. He didn't mean to be rough, but her constant crying like a child was getting tedious. He wasn't surprised, since he didn't even know that she was recovering. She wasn't acting anything like the strong girl he knew before. She was sitting on the bed, curled up hugging her knees, and rocking back and forth.

"I know you don't love me anymore, so why don't you just tell me that you want a divorce? Just tell it to my face, instead of just ignoring me."

"What?" his voice started to rise.

"You don't want me, and no matter how hard I try, you still don't care. All day you work, I know I'm not important enough to even talk to you," she said softly and wiped her eyes.

"That's not true!" he protested.

"You aren't attracted to me; you avoid talking to me by staying in your office all day," she said and grabbed her pillow, burying her face in it.

He started to get annoyed, "I have work to do, you know. How else do you think you have money to go around shopping all the time?"

"I haven't gone shopping in a while. Just today."

"No? I know about you sneaking out. Don't think I'm an idiot, Lily."

"Please don't yell at me, Kaiba," she whimpered.

_She didn't call me by my first name…_

He didn't expect such a weak answer. He expected a strong, quick, sarcastic snap attacking him. She had never acted this way before. _She's changed over the years…she's not who she was before, and I didn't even notice. Maybe she's right. I haven't paid enough attention to her. What have I done?_

The more accurate question would have been, what haven't I done? But, give the guy a break. How was he to know she was crumbling inside?

"I'm not yelling," he lowered his voice and sighed. He walked over to her and sat on the bed, "Okay, fine, what _were_ you doing then?"

"I was seeing…a psychologist."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, I didn't think you cared. We didn't have a decent conversation in a while."

"I didn't mean to seem like I was ignoring you. I didn't know what to say. You were so sad, and I never remembered you ever acting that way. I don't know how to act when people cry, so I thought I'd give you space and that with time it would go away."

"But, I needed you. You didn't even sit with me. I was really alone. I know you're sick of me acting this way, but I can't help it. I thought it was getting better…but now…I just don't know," she started crying again.

He pulled her towards him in a hug, "I'm sorry for neglecting you. Don't cry…"

"Don't leave me…" she clutched his shirt sleeve like a three year old going to preschool on the first day.

"I wouldn't, ever…And even though I haven't show it, I love you. I always will," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

OOOOH HOW SWEET!!! :D :D

Haha.

Okay…I'm done. For reals. I almost ended it with Lily marrying Steven, cuz Kaiba moved on, but then I thought…that sucks. Yeah. Now, my, ahem, "creative" juices are used up. And I'd like to thank all you pretty reviewers…yes you're all pretty. Thanks for all the encouraging comments, compliments, criticism, er…and other stuff. Yeah. All stories have room for improvement, and I know my story hasn't been the greatest, or even that great, but ALL FEEDBACK HAS BEEN APPRECIATED! :D:D

::MUAH:: LOVE YA GUYS! It's been much fun writing this, and now it's completed.

Proverbs 31: shows us superwoman, who I definitely strive to be. I thought I'd share w/ you.

10 A wife of noble character who can find?   
She is worth far more than rubies.   
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.   
12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.   
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.   
14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.   
15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.   
16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.   
17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.   
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.   
19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.   
20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.   
22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.   
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.   
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.   
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.   
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.   
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.   
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:   
29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."   
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.   
31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

And I'd like to say…Just because people change, doesn't mean you can't still love them. Yeah. That's not a quote. It's from MEEH. Hehe.

THANKS AGAIN REVIEWERS! :D


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